


Our Strange Love Affair

by Silvererros, xXKenzyKooXx



Category: Danti - Fandom, Septiplier - Fandom
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Danti - Freeform, Drama & Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Multi, Septiplier - Freeform, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-05
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2018-10-28 08:20:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10827438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silvererros/pseuds/Silvererros, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xXKenzyKooXx/pseuds/xXKenzyKooXx
Summary: Jack finds himself in a tough spot and ends up moving in with Mark. While living together, their alter-egos make things a little more difficult, in more ways than one.As time goes on, relationships between the two boys and two demons strain, grow, and blossom into something more than had been planned.





	1. Decisions, Decisions

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the beginning of the story that spawned "See Me" and "Jealousy and Heartache"!
> 
> First chapter's more for establishing setting, than anything, so excuse if it seems a bit slow. Chapters to follow will be more eventful.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> NOTE: I have NOTHING against Mark and Jack's girlfriends. I love Signe and Amy!  
> What happens with them here is strictly for story telling purposes, only.

Jack sat at his desk, rubbing his temples while he waited for a new video to finish processing.

PAX had come and gone some time ago. It'd had been extremely fun getting to see his friends in person again; he didn't have too many outside of YouTube, so any event that allowed him a chance to visit was welcomed with open arms. The convention itself had been great, although not without hiccups, of course. The staff had slipped on one of their own rules about letting people line up early for signings. The line had already been capped off before he'd gotten out of bed that morning. It broke his heart knowing some of his fans hadn't even had a chance to get out of bed, themselves, when the line had been filled, but the most he could do was apologize and hope it made things right. It wasn't necessarily his fault, but he felt guilty nonetheless.

He'd also broken his own rule about giving hugs and accepting gifts during his Q&A, being that he wasn't supposed to till his signing the next day; he hadn't wanted to slow the whole thing down by stopping every couple of minutes. But, with certain fans breaking into tears, he couldn't uphold it. It hurt too much to see them cry, he just wanted to make them smile.

Then, of course, there was Anti.

It had been hard enough getting a buffer ready before the convention without Anti's intervention, but the demon had insisted on filming a video for PAX last minute...meaning, of course, that he'd made death threats, complained, and picked on him till he gave in out of stress.

In the end, of course, his subscribers had loved the sudden appearance of Anti on the convention hall's monitor, and it had been easy to step in saying it was him in the video. Granted, he had actually been nervous about it. Anti had been a giggly child the whole way to Boston, as well as during the convention, always going on about getting back at that "cheap imitator."

He knew this was about Mark's character, Dark, which was supposed to be Mark's evil alter-ego. The character had gained a lot of popularity after popping up on Valentine's Day in his "A Date With Markiplier" videos.

Jack knew all too well about it...and not just because it kept popping up on Tumblr and Twitter. Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, he had played through it several times to see all the endings Mark had come up with. They were all hilarious, except for the Darkiplier ending, which came off really creepy. Jack had been impressed by Mark's editing and his acting. It was really convincing, and something about this new portrayal of Dark sent shivers up his spine. He definitely did not want to meet that version of Mark in a dark alley at night.

A date with Mark... He chuckled at the thought. An actual date with Mark would probably involve a lot of joking while sitting in a Cracker Barrel eating chicken and dumplings. Of that, he was certain.

He leaned back in his chair, trying to ignore the incessant rambling coming from Anti who currently floated around the room. He'd just seen the more recent Dark appearances and was having a fit over it.

"Can you believe that ass-hat?! Stealin' the spotlight, AGAIN! Oh, I'll show him. I should-"

Jack tried to focus on other things, going back over the year so far.

It had been much more pleasant, up to a point anyway, than previous years had been. He'd reached new milestones, he'd had a great time at PAX, he'd seen friends, made new ones, played some great games so far. There was even more to look forward to later in the year.

But, with the pleasant came the bad.

Not that it was too terrible, but it had made things difficult, to say the least.

He and his girlfriend of 2 years had planned on moving into a house in Brighton together, closer to Felix and Marzia. They would both have had better internet capabilities to work on their channels, they'd have been closer to friends, and they wouldn't have had to worry about bothering their neighbors...well, Jack wouldn't have had to worry about it. They'd even already found a house, started packing, and had let the land lord know about the time they'd be out. Sometime during all of the packing, however, something had changed.

She'd sat him down, one day, and they'd talked things over. Some things had come up with her family and she wouldn't be able to live with him for a long time. In fact, with what was going on, she wasn't even sure when she'd be able to come back. Jack had nodded, taking it all in, and he knew from past experience what this meant. Rather than suggest they try staying together, long-distance, they agreed that, for now, it was best if they went their separate ways. He'd agreed to deal with the move while she went ahead and finished packing her things. Within that week, she'd headed home, her things already being mailed back to her home country.

Jack, in his opinion, had handled it well. He hadn't become upset, they'd talked it over, and they had come to a mutual agreement. Problem was, now he was under a lot of stress. He couldn't afford payments on the house by himself; they had agreed to split that between them. Yeah, he made a decent amount from YouTube, but getting a house was something he wouldn't have considered otherwise. He'd also already given his land lord a deadline, paid the last of his rent, and there was already a renter ready to move in once he was out. There wasn't much time left. At most, he had one more month.

"Ugh, what am I gonna do?" he muttered to himself, leaning forward to finish posting his last video for the day.

"It's not like you don't have any options," Anti grinned, hanging upside down in front of Jack's monitor, blocking his view. Anti looked almost exactly like Jack, except for his left eye which was green and his eye teeth were slightly more pronounced. On occasion, he'd been known to sport a slit and bloody throat, but today it looked normal. He was always dressed in dark skinny jeans, boots, and a plain black tee when he was like this, and sometimes he even wore black gauges like Jack's old set he never wore, anymore.

"Anti, not right now. I'm tryin' to figure out a solution, here," he said, rolling his eyes at him.

"What's there to figure out, Jackie?" he dropped down behind Jack. "You can't pay for the house, but you can't stay here anymore. There is, however, the third option."

"Third option?" He paused and looked back over his shoulder at him.

"One!" Anti wrapped his arm around the seat, holding up a single finger. "You go ahead and move into the house, but quickly find you can't handle the bills on it by yourself. Two," he held up a second finger, walking them up Jack's arm to his shoulder. "You try to stay here, but then look like a total ass to the people who had just paid first month's rent on this place, effectively puttin' them in your shoes."

Jack bit his lip at that; he didn't want to shift his problem on to someone else, if he could help it. "What's three?"

Anti grinned mischievously, "Or three, you call your dearest friend in the whole wide web and ask him if you can stay with him, even if only temporarily. Say...a few months?"

"Mark's not my dearest friend. He's just a friend." Jack interjected.

"I didn't specify who, fleshy.~" Anti chuckled. Although he didn't specify the person in question, it had been Mark he was bringing up.

Jack's face flushed and he looked away. "I-I couldn't ask Mark. It would be too last minute, plus that's a long trip and most of my things would have to be shipped there at separate times."

"But he's already renting," Anti pointed out with a grin, coming around to his side so he could see Jack's face. "And it's a house, so there'd be plenty of room. You could offer to split the rent with him, you'd be near friends, most YouTube events happen in or around LA. Why not do it? Besides," Anti leaned down by Jack's ear, placing his hands on his shoulders, "he's your friend! He enjoys helping others, and I bet he'd help you out in a heartbeat.~"

Jack gave him an irritated look shoving him off of him. "Go float around downstairs, or somethin'. I need to think without you around."

Anti simply grinned and teleported out of the room.

Jack sighed and leaned his elbows on his desk, resting his head in his hands. He glanced at his monitor, staring at the Skype icon.

The more he thought about Anti's suggestion, the more it kind of made sense...which was a scary thought. Mark did have plenty of room, and he was sure if he talked to him about his situation, he'd be more than understanding. And a few months could be enough time to figure out a better solution.

Anti's words lingered in his ears for several minutes while he continued to stare at the shortcut. Some part of him kept saying not to do it, that he'd be asking too much of his friend, but the rest was telling him to call. A call couldn't hurt, right? If Mark said no, he'd understand. It would just mean he'd have some scrambling to do. One call. For five, maybe ten, minutes. What harm could it do?

"...Fook it!" he sat up and opened up Skype, giving it a bit to load before checking his contact list. He clicked to his "Favorites" list and glanced through it. For Jack, it was pretty late in the evening; the sun had gone down some time ago, but Mark should still be up for the day.

[Markiplier: ONLINE]

He slid his hands up his face and carded them through his hair. They'd been friends for a while, but he still felt a little nervous calling or messaging Mark, even now. He put his headset back on and fixed his hair out of habit and took a cleansing breath in and out. You can do this, he thought to himself, It's just Mark. It's just Mark.

With new resolve, he pressed "call computer" and waited, biting at his lip nervously.

\------

Mark sat at his computer editing a video he'd recorded earlier that morning. He'd sent Ethan the other video to edit, wanting something specific done for it rather than just the usual. As he finished up, he sat back in his seat to let the video process. In the meantime, he glanced around his social media, seeing what everyone was up to.

A soft ringing suddenly sounded from his computer, indicating he had a Skype call.

He frowned slightly. He wasn't expecting any calls today. Mark opened up his Skype and took a look at the name of the caller.

[Receiving call from: jacksepticeye]

He raised his brows in surprise and turned up the volume so he could hear when he answered the call. Once the call loaded, he smiled at the familiar blue eyes and green hair that popped up on his screen.

"Hey there, Jackaboy! What are you doing calling me at such an hour? Isn't it late there?" he asked.

["Uh yeah, it's almost midnight here," Jack chuckled slightly.]

Mark's smile dimmed. Jack didn't seem like his usual chipper self today. Normally during their calls, he was smiling and excited. "You ok?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

["Well, I uh..." Jack glanced away, playing with his goatee, "...To tell you the truth, no. I'm not."]

Mark frowned and leaned forward in his seat. "What's eating at ya, Jack? If you need to talk, I'm more than willing to lend an ear. I'm just waiting for a video to process, right now."

[Jack chuckled somewhat. "Thanks, Mark." He sighed and stared at his desk a moment. "...Well, to start, my girlfriend and I broke up last week."]

Well that was a surprise. "Oh, wow, I'm so sorry, man. If you don't mind my asking, what happened? I mean, you don't have to say anything, that's fine. I'm just curious. You two seemed so happy together."

 _'Smooth, Mark. Why not just make it obvious how happy you are to hear that?'_ a deep voice chuckled in the back of his head. He ignored it, not wanting to make Jack think something was going on with him.

[Jack went on to explain how a family emergency had come up and his girlfriend had to go back home. "She wasn't sure if or when she'd be back, but she wasn't going to be able to help with the house. And I know long-distance relationships just don't work...so we ended it."]

"Well, at least she didn't just up and leave, and not come back, right?" Mark tried to help him see the positive in this.

 _'Two for two, Mark. Tell him more about your failing love life,'_ the voice commented again.

["Yeah, I guess. Better to agree it wasn't gonna work. It's not so much the break up itself that's botherin' me, though," Jack added, leaning his head in his hands, "It's the aftermath..." He took in a deep breath to try and steady his nerves before lifting his eyes back up to the camera, "W-Which brings us to why I called you, in the first place."]

Mark gave him a confused look, raising a brow questioningly. Some part of him was suddenly very anxious, and he wasn't quite sure why.

["She's already moved out, so all of her things are taken care of, but I've been left with the house and the apartment to deal with. I can't afford full payments on a house by myself, but I've already paid the last of my rent here."]

"Couldn't you talk to your land lord about the situation?" Mark suggested.

["Trust me, I have. He's already got someone slated to move in here as soon as I move out. They already paid the first month's rent."]

"Oh geez..."

["Yeah, and I don't wanna put someone through the same thing I'm going through. It's just not right..." Jack took a long pause before he continued. "So, I was..." he fiddled with something on his desk, "...I was wonderin' if...maybe...I mean I understand if you can't, o-or don't want to-"]

"Jack," Mark interrupted his rambling. He was clearly very nervous about this. "Relax, it's just me. No need to avoid the subject." He gave him an encouraging smile. "C'mon, what is it?"

[Jack stared at him through the screen a moment before taking another deep breath. "Can I move in with you?" he asked quickly.]

The surprise must have been evident on Mark's face, because Jack grimaced on the screen. He waited though, watching Mark while he processed the question.

"...uh, you want to move in with me?"

["It would just be for a few months or so, until I can find a new place, and then I'll be out of your hair, I promise!" The words were rushing out of Jack's mouth faster than he could process them, "I'll help pay rent, I'll help keep it clean, I'll take Chica on walks, I'll do whatever you want to do. I'll even try to be as quiet as can be! You won't even notice I'm there! See?"]

Mark chuckled as Jack suddenly dropped out of sight of the camera, "Jack, Jack, hey! Calm down." Sometimes Jack was too cute.

 _'Don't let those feelings show, Mark~,'_ the voice warned in a taunting tone.

I'm well aware, Dark, would you be quiet? he thought back. When he didn't hear anything else, he focused again on his screen. "Get back up here." He watched Jack poke his head back up before standing to sit in his seat again. The last time he'd seen Jack this nervous was at his first PAX.

["Look..." he sighed, "I know this is kinda last minute...but I wouldn't ask if I had any other options."]

"Sean," Mark used Jack's actual name, noticeably gaining back his attention. "Yes."

["Yes?"]

"Yes, you can come stay here. I have a whole house to myself. I can easily-"

["Oh sweet jaysus!" A large smile crossed Jack's face as he leaned back in his chair, pressing his hands against his eyes. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you! Oh, god, I could kiss you right now!"]

Mark blushed slightly and laughed a bit. "Whoa there, no need to get too excited. But as your god, I will gladly accept your praise," he joked.

[Jack chuckled, and raised his hands in the air. "All praise the Lordiplier!"]

They both laughed at their joke; more than likely it would pop up again in their next co-op video, which Mark realized would probably be sometime soon with Jack moving in.

["Seriously, though, Mark. Thank you. You won't regret this, I promise. I'll find a way to make it up to you."]

"Hey, I'm not expecting anything out of this, so don't worry about it," Mark couldn't help but smile at the Irishman. "Since we're talking about this, do you need help getting plane tickets?"

["Oh geez, no, that's ok. It's enough that you'll let me stay with you."]

"Alright. But if you need help with anything, at all, give me a call or send a text." Mark pointed a finger at him, "Seriously. I'm here for you, Jack."

[Jack rolled his eyes, "Ok, ok. I get it, call you."]

"You better get it," he grinned. "Alright, I have to end the call here. Gotta upload this video, go work out, and now work on setting up a room for you."

["Alright. Again, thanks, Mark. You're a life saver. I'll call ya later! See ya!"]

  
"Bye, Jack," Mark waved to him just before the call ended and the window closed. He couldn't help the smile plastered on his face as he leaned back in his chair a moment. Jack was coming to LA. They'd be seeing a lot more of each other, soon, and he was so excited he could hardly stand it.


	2. First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is finally in LA, but Mark's worried about how he'd react to Dark...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to xXKenzyKooXx for co-authoring this chapter! ^w^

"There!" Mark placed his hands on his hips, admiring his work. He'd finally gotten the guest room cleaned out and set up for Jack's arrival. Some of Jack's furniture had arrived before him, so Mark decided to save him some time by setting it up before he got there. He figured if Jack wanted to change some things, they could easily move them around where he wanted them to be.

"Look at you being a busy bee~," a low voice sounded from the doorway behind him.

Mark was all too familiar with this voice to be surprised. He sighed and turned, seeing Dark standing in the doorway to what was now to be Jack's room. He was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed and one foot tucked behind the ankle of the other. A knowing smirk was planted on his face as he glanced around the room. Dark always appeared dressed in black suit pants and a vest, a blood red button up shirt tucked underneath and dress shoes that never scuffed when he wasn't in one of Mark's videos for one thing or another. In all regards, he looked exactly like Mark, other than how he dressed and his cat-like silver eyes. From what Mark could see, although he looked amused now, his eyes showed indifference.

Dark let out a low, deep chuckle, "Nesting, are we?"

"What are YOU doing out?" Mark asked.

"Well, you were distracted enough. I just let myself out for some fresh air." Dark's smirk fell and he tilted his head from side to side, popping his neck. "It gets stuffy in that head of yours. And with you so distracted with Jack this and Jack that, it was also quite tumultuous."

Mark rolled his eyes, "Look, I have no time for this today. Jack is-"

"Jack's plane is slotted to arrive at five-o-clock pm. I am aware," Dark cut him off.

"Great! Then you're also aware that you can't be out when he gets here," Mark added with false enthusiasm. Dark had caused him enough trouble in recent months. The last thing he needed was his evil alter-ego scaring off Jack by making Mark look crazy.

"Ye of little faith," Dark shook his head slowly. "By the way, you realize I have a day of control coming up soon."

Mark cursed under his breath. He'd forgotten all about that in his excitement.

"If you plan to keep up this ruse that I am simply a character in your head, then you better have a plan. What are you going to tell him?"

"Uh..." Mark brought his fingers up to his face in thought, looking around the room as though he'd find the answer there.

"You don't have a plan at all," Dark smirked again.

"I-I'll figure something out by then! I mean, I could have him take Chica out on a walk-"

"For 12 hours?"

"Or send him to the store-"

"For 12 hours? Plus, he can't even drive."

Mark buried his face in his hands. He couldn't think of anything at that moment that would get Jack out of the house while Dark was walking around. "Well...I've got how long?"

"Forty-seven hours, ten minutes," Dark stated matter-of-factually.

"Could've just said two days," Mark sank down into Jack's green gamer chair, leaning his elbows on his knees and resting his head in his hands. He sighed; what was he supposed to do? He couldn't make him stay out all day, but he also couldn't just let him run into Dark out of the blue, either. He wasn't sure about telling him ahead of time.

What if he just thought he'd gone crazy?

Dark strolled over to him, his foot falls completely silent in this state. He could readily project a tactile image of himself at any time, as long as Mark was too distracted to hold him back, but as an image he had no weight and no shadow. Being trapped in the recesses of Mark's mind was not exactly his idea of a good time, so he was looking forward to being out and about again. Mark wouldn't be able to hold him back on that day.

Dark crossed his arms behind his back and leaned to one side, trying to see Mark's face.

This was clearly a decision his host was completely torn on. He'd had a crush on this "Jacksepticeye" for some time, now; it had started off as simple friendship back when they'd first started collaborating on videos, but after their first conventions together, Dark had noticed those friendly feelings for the green-haired Irishman had grown. The moment Jack had called two weeks ago, Mark's heart had started racing and his nervous thoughts had woken him. Dark didn't understand his host's fascination. Especially since Mark had always insisted he was straight; he was in such denial most of the time, Dark could barely sleep.

"Perhaps the wisest course of action would be to introduce him to me," Dark suggested.

Mark shook his head, "I can't do that. He'll think I've gone nuts, or something."

"How do you know for sure? Is he not a dear friend of yours?"

Mark shrugged, "No, he is, but-"

"Well," Dark stood up straight, "If he IS a dear friend, then he will stay. Simple as that. He also has nowhere to go, but here. If he is moving in, then this is his home. It's not as though he can pick up and move back to Ireland right after making the voyage here. And," he hooked a finger under Mark's chin and made him look at him, "If he's going to be here for at least three months, minimum, he's bound to find out."

"...Why are you trying to help me feel better about this?" Mark asked, confused.

" **Because I want some god damn sleep, this afternoon** ," Dark scowled, his voice distorting much like it did in his videos. His silver eyes seemed to darken a few shades. "Now stop thinking so hard about it. I'll see you when you're ready to tell him." With that, Dark seemed to fade away, retreating back into Mark's mind.

Mark sat back in the chair, staring at the ceiling. He stayed silent, lost in his own thoughts. He hated to admit it, he always did, but maybe Dark was right. Perhaps it was best he let Jack know what was going on before that day came around. He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. He still worried that Jack might think ill of him afterward, but what choice did he have?

"There's got to be some other way..." he muttered to himself.

He had slightly less than two days to figure it out, otherwise he'd have some serious explaining to do. Whatever happened, he hoped Sean would stick around.

\------------

"Jack!"

Jack perked up, looking ahead of him for the source of the familiar voice. He had a backpack slung over his shoulder and had been preparing to text Mark when he'd heard his name being called. He glanced around, looking for a familiar face, when he saw a hand waving in the air. A grin quickly spread across his face and he picked up his pace, almost jogging towards it.

He was greeted by a friendly smile as he quickly wrapped an arm around the darker skinned man.

"Mark! Man, it's great to see ya."

Mark chuckled and returned the hug, "Great to see you, too. You seem excited."

Jack let him go and grinned, bouncing slightly on his feet. "Well, duh! I haven't been here in so long! Also, I'm fookin' starvin'! Survivin' all day on airport cafe food, just no, man."

"Well let's grab your bags, and we'll stop somewhere to eat on the way back. My treat," Mark suggested, guiding him towards the baggage claim.

"I can just wait till we get back. You don't have to take me out to dinner," Jack chuckled a bit.

"No, no! I insist! Only the best for my new roomie!" Mark smiled at him.

Jack couldn't help the slight blush that crept onto his face, and did his best to ignore it while they waited for his bags. He'd almost forgotten why he'd come to LA in the first place. It was surreal to think that he wasn't just visiting for a week and heading back to Ireland. He lived here, now.

 _'One, two, Anti's coming for you~'_ Anti chanted low in the back of his mind.

Jack shook his head. No, you're not coming out right now, he thought, receiving Anti's creepy giggle in reply. He still needed to figure out how he was going to tell Mark about Anti; he'd been thinking on it the whole flight, trying to find a solution. Anti had a free day coming up, soon, and he had no idea how he was supposed to explain that.

He could just see it now: Yeah, hey Mark, just so you know, there are days where I act like a crazed psychopath for twelve hours. Oh! And I don't usually remember everything that happened, sooooo...have fun! That would go over so well...

"Jack?"

He shook his head and turned to Mark, "W-Wha?"

"I said I got all your bags. Let's get out of here so we can eat," Mark explained, indicating the bags sitting at his feet. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just...just tired, I guess. Jet lag and all." He offered Mark an exhausted smile.

"Well, we'll get you fed and into your bed, right away. C'mon," Mark picked up a bag and wheeled another behind him. Jack grabbed the last bag and followed him out to the car.

From there, most of the evening was a blur for Jack. Dinner was passed joking around, and the whole drive to the house he fought back sleep.

 

Mark had been rambling most of the drive back. It was so good to see the Irishman again, he couldn't help but be excited, despite his nerves. He still worried about telling him Dark wasn't a fictional character, but at least he still had time to try and figure something out.

"-And if you're up for it, while your here, I have some videos in mind that we could do. What do you think?" he asked as he pulled into the driveway and parked the car. When he didn't get an immediate response, he glanced over at Jack. "Jack?" He gave him a small nudge, and smiled.

Jack had passed out in his seat.

 _'He seems intriguing enough,'_ Dark chimed in suddenly, making Mark jump in his seat.

God, don't do that! he thought.

_'It is not as though I can give you some sort of warning.'_

Mark sighed. So you find him "intriguing"?

_'Yes, quite. Introduce us at your convenience.'_

Mark gave a confused look to the air.

 _'And before you protest, let me remind you. A lie through omission is still a lie. It would be better to tell him now, than to wait till a later date.'_ There was a small pause of silence before Dark spoke up again, as if giving the thought a moment to sink in, _'Have a decent evening.'_

Mark leaned back in his seat, turning off the car to sit in silence while he thought it over. He did have a point; he always did. He didn't want Jack to feel trapped here if he found out on his own.

"Tomorrow, after breakfast..."

\----------------

The next day, Jack barely remembered Mark waking him so they could get his bags inside and get him to bed.

Anti was particularly active in his head when he woke up, wanting desperately to search the house for "the enemy" as he occasionally put it. Jack managed to hold him back, but it made fully waking up difficult. He stretched and stood, changing his clothes. As he made to leave his room, he paused and actually looked around. He hadn't noticed it last night that Mark had already set up most of his larger furniture. His computer system and monitors were set off to the side, probably waiting there so Jack himself could figure out if he needed a separate room to record or not. He smirked and headed out of the room.

He found Mark in the kitchen, just finishing up breakfast for them.

"Oh hey there, sleepy head," he greeted, settling down in his chair with a couple plates in hand.

"Hey. You didn't have to cook breakfast, y'know." Jack sat at the table, taking a plate from him.

"I know, I know..." Mark stared at the table while Jack grabbed his food. "So, after breakfast, I need to tell you something."

Jack shot him a questioning look.

"It's pretty important, but...it's not too bad?" Mark's questioning tone made Jack raise a brow. "You'll see."

"Okay?" Now Jack felt nervous. "Is that why you cooked first thing this morning?" he asked.

"You could say that..."

Breakfast seemed to pass slower than it should have, both boys nervous about the coming conversation. Jack was plagued with thoughts about whether or not he'd be able to stay there as long as he needed to, or if Mark was about to drop some kind of bombshell on him. Meanwhile, Mark just worried how Jack would take the information. What if he didn't believe him? What if he thought he was crazy? What if he wanted to stay somewhere else? He'd only just arrived, but that didn't mean he wouldn't want to move...what if he didn't want to be friends afterward?

_'It's time.'_

Mark took a deep breath in, trying to steady his nerves before pushing himself up out of his seat. "Follow me."

Jack looked up, "Right now?"

"Yeah, leave your plate there. I'll get the dishes in a minute."

Jack hesitated, not sure if he should really do that or not. After a moment, he stood and followed, leaving the plate behind where it lay.

Mark lead him into the living room and situated himself in the most open spot he could find. He wasn't sure how well this would go, but he wanted to be sure Jack didn't feel cornered or trapped.

"So, Mark...what's this all about?" Jack asked.

Mark turned to face him. Whatever happened now would determine how the next few months would go. "Well...ugh, how do I start?" He stared at the floor for a moment, looking for the words. "I have to tell you something, and if I don't do it now, I worry you might not want to be around me anymore..."

Jack frowned slightly...what was this, a confession of some sort?

 _'If he admits he's in love with you, I'm slittin' his fookin' throat, right here,'_ Anti chimed in, disgusted.

You will not, he thought at him, now shut the fook up, would ya? "W-What is it?" Jack asked cautiously.

Mark took a few calming breaths in and out, gathering all the courage he could muster. "...Dark is not a character I made up. He's real."

Jack let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Ok, that's kind of random. You had me worried there for a second."

Mark was taken aback by his reaction. "You're not freaking out?"

"Why would I freak out? So Dark's based on an actual person. No big deal."

"...I don't think you understand what I just said. He's not based on someone, he IS real." This was not the reaction Mark had been expecting from him, at all.

"Ok, so you found a body double," Jack tried to figure out what Mark meant, "That had to have been hard to do cons-"

"No, Sean. He is REAL..." he said, using Jack's real name to emphasize his point. This was serious. He gave a sigh before glancing away. Look...you can come out, but please..., he reasoned with Dark, Don't hurt him.

 _'No promises, Mark,'_ Dark's voice echoed. _'I can't account for his actions.'_

While Mark seemed lost in thought, Jack still couldn't quite figure out what he meant. If Dark wasn't based on someone - which he wouldn't have known who anyway - and he wasn't an actor, then what was he?

 _'I want out! It's gettin' cramped in here!'_ Anti complained.

This isn't exactly a good- Jack tried to tell him, but Anti wouldn't listen to him.

_'I want to explore! You've kept me in here for days, I want to move around.'_

Jack sighed inwardly, tired of dealing with his whiny ass. Fine! Just don't break anything, alright?

_'No promises, fleshy~'_

Jack rolled his eyes, feeling a noticeable weight that seemed to lift off his shoulders. As Anti left, Jack's eyes went wide. Before him, a transparent figure was becoming more and more opaque. When he finally seemed solid, the figure looked straight at Jack with silver eyes.

Jack stumbled back a few steps, every fiber of his being telling him to run but unable to move. "Holy shit! You're REAL?!" How the hell was this happening? Dark was just a character! Jack turned to Mark, questions ready to fly out of his mouth at high speed, only to be stopped by the familiar look of shock on the other man's face.

"YoU!"

Jack flinched and glanced behind him. Anti was fully visible...and fully pissed off.

Both young men ran for the space behind the couch, ducking behind it for cover.

"Well, if it isn't Anti," Dark observed out loud, his arms crossed behind his back.

Anti stomped over to him, his image visibly glitching as he approached. "You FoOkIn' pieCe Of sHitE, deMon WanNAbe!"

Dark scoffed, "Excuse me, wannabe?"

Insults began to fly back and forth as the demons confronted each other in person, leaving Mark and Jack peeking around the side of the couch as they waited for it to die down.

"Dark's real?!" Jack whispered at Mark in panic.

"I tried to tell you!" Mark whispered back, "And please tell me Anti isn't real-why the hell wouldn't you tell me about Anti?!"

"Would you have fookin' believed me?!" Jack glanced at him, his voice reaching a higher pitch.

"...okay, fine, touche! But still! I tried to warn you! I had no idea he was real or this could've gone differently."

"Oh, yeah, sure. 'Cause they're just like two pets that need introduced to each other slowly-" he said sarcastically, "-this wouldn't have been any fookin' different!"

"Whatever! We both have explaining to do! Let's move on!" Mark argued back in hushed tones.

Jack turned back towards the fighting demons. He was surprised it hadn't gotten any more physical than Anti grabbing Dark by the shirt collar. He was also surprised to see Dark was so level headed...at least, he seemed it.

"-I've been around longer than you've been alive, child. Long before your host had even started his channel."

Anti shoved him, "WhY do PeOpLE evEN LIKE yOu?! YoU're aN eMotIoNLesS, sTonE-HeADed oLD BASTARD!"

"People prefer a sophisticated individual over a whiny crybaby, any day," Dark shot back.

"FoOk YoU! StONe FAcE!" Anti flipped him the middle finger and stormed off to some other part of the house.

Dark straightened out his shirt and collar, giving his vest a quick tug to straighten it out. He glanced into the living room, briefly catching Jack's eye before he ducked back behind the couch. He sighed. All Dark had wanted was to meet the man that had caught his host's interest. Instead, he'd ended up squabbling with his demon, whom till then he hadn't known actually existed. He could only know as much as his host when it came to people online.

"I apologize for my behavior. We'll try this again, at a later time." Dark gave a polite bow before fading away, returning to the dark corners of Mark's mind.

Mark and Jack sat speechless on the floor behind the couch, vaguely able to hear Anti ranting and raving somewhere in the house. This had not been how either of them had imagined Jack's first morning in the house would go...

"......Well, then-"

"Mark."

"...Yeah?"

"...Please tell me this house isn't full of psychopathic killers..."

"...It wasn't, till today..."

"Oh joy..."


	3. ENOUGH!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dark's had enough of Anti's attitude for one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for this being a bit late xp  
> It took longer than anticipated and a lot of things have gotten in the way, lately.  
> Thanks again to xXKenzyKooXx for inspiration and bouncing around ideas with me!

"Okay, so...let's talk this out," Mark calmly suggested while they sat at the table.

"That's probably a good idea," Jack agreed, thankful for Anti's silence for the moment. Anti had used up his energy fuming over the fact that not only was Dark real, but they were stuck living with him in close proximity. This was not going to be an easy 3 months...

"So...we now know that both Anti and Dark actually exist," Mark continued, clasping his hands together.

"And they are now highly aware of each other," Jack added, "which did NOT go well, at all, mind you."

"Yeah...I swear, I had no idea Anti was actually real. I figured he was just a character, like Warfstache is for me."

"I'm glad HE'S not real, or things would be even worse right now..." Jack leaned his elbows on the table and rested his head in his hands. "Which, by the way, we're sure he's not real, right?"

"Absolutely. I just made him up for fun," Mark assured him.

"Good, good..."

"When did he officially show up?" Mark asked, "I mean, he was originally just a fan creation, wasn't he?"

Jack lifted his head, "Well...he was, originally, at least I think he was. I really had been thinkin' about havin' him as a character, but...I guess, after the first few videos I did with Robin editin' in a glitchy effect, things kinda...got out of hand?" He made a vague gesture with his hands, "After those videos, I started havin' these blackouts. I'd be in the middle of workin' on somethin' and I'd...I don't know, zone out. At least, that's how it felt. When I'd come to, everythin' would seem normal, but there'd be little changes here and there. At first it was just some weird messages I didn't remember typin' on my accounts. Then images changin', and Robin started tellin' me there were already glitches in the videos I was recordin', he just enhanced what I'd put there. But I hadn't touched them."

"So, you think the fans theories and his growing popularity might've-"

"Given him life? Yeah, I think," Jack nodded. "He seems to feed on the attention of others. At least, that's my guess. I'm still not quite sure. It could be somethin' else, for all I know."

"Ok..." Mark looked him over from across the table.

Jack could see the worry on his face and sighed. "I have a feelin' I know what your thinkin', but what's botherin' you?"

"Well...On Halloween...Anti..." Mark hesitated, "He slit your throat."

"I'm aware, yes. I had to make a follow-up video to calm everyone down. So much for carvin' pumpkins," Jack chuckled slightly, trying to keep the mood light.

"But how did you survive that?"

"Man, you didn't pay close attention to the video, did ya?" Jack sat up straight, "When I started the video, I only had two knives and a spoon. I had a bad feelin' crop up while I was recordin', so I grabbed a prop knife I'd bought for Halloween and made sure I had it nearby. I had a month of experience by then to know what it felt like when Anti was takin' over. Luckily I'd picked up the prop knife to go at the pumpkin just as he took over; I blacked out while he was pullin' the thing across my neck."

Mark let out a sigh of relief.

"Hence, no scar," Jack pointed at his neck, "See?"

"It's a good thing you buy some random shit for videos, or he'd have killed you," Mark chuckled slightly.

"Yeah, it is. You're probably one of the only people who approves of it," Jack grinned.

"I guess so. So, I guess from there, he just comes out when he pleases?"

Jack grimaced, "Eeeeeh...yes and no. He can, sorta, be out and about now and again, but not physically and not for very long. There ARE special days when he can be out physically for several hours, but he takes over my body for that day. Halloween just happened to be one of them."

"Huh, sounds like Dark," Mark said.

"Speaking of, if Dark's real, does that mean he was really there all those times before?" Jack asked, turning the conversation around so he could get some answers of his own.

"Dark's been around a long time," Mark rubbed at the back of his neck, "I started having these terrible nightmares as a kid - around 10 years old, I think - and I used to lie awake at night thinking I'd seen a shadow standing in the corner of my room. As I got older, I started writing it off, ignoring it. My eyes were just playing tricks on me, at least that's what I thought."

"So, he's been around since you were 10?" Jack asked.

"I think so. I'm not sure what exactly gives him power, and I don't really have any guesses. All I know is he has gotten stronger since then, enough that he's able to be out whenever he has the energy for it. And like Anti, there are certain days he can take over and walk around."

"Ok...so, we now know if one of us is actin' weird, more than likely our alter ego is out for the day," Jack reasoned.

"At least we're aware, then," Mark chuckled slightly.

"Yeah, that's true. So, on days like that, do I need to be careful of anythin'?" Jack asked.

"I don't really know," Mark shrugged, "And I think I can guess how Anti gets."

"If his earlier actions were any indicator," Jack chuckled. "Either way, we need to be careful."

Mark nodded in agreement and looked at the clock. It was already mid day and they had plenty to do. "Well, we have videos to make, still, and your computer still needs set up."

"Don't worry about that. You go ahead and get started. I've still got at least a day or two of videos scheduled to upload." Jack stood and stretched, "I'll see ya at dinner?"

Mark smiled, "Yeah, see ya then."

  
\-----------

  
"I still wanna rip that old geezer's head off and punt it over the house," Anti grumbled as he laid on the ceiling, arms crossed behind his head as he stared down at the floor.

"Anti, I know you have it out for Dark, but can this not wait till mornin'?" Jack grumbled from his spot in bed.

The day had been relatively quiet with Anti asleep, allowing Jack the chance to focus on working on his computer. Once it was set up, he worked on establishing spots for some of the smaller items in his room, officially making it his own with what he had. He'd had enough time to record a couple videos before dinner, and after everything that had happened, he was utterly exhausted.

Anti sat up on the ceiling and shot him a glare.

"I'm serious. I'd like some sleep."

"You'll have plenty of it tomorrow while I'm out," Anti teleported down onto the edge of the bed, sitting next to Jack, kicking his legs. "Besides. I'm excited! I'll get to talk to Markimoo tomorrow while I'm out. He is kinda cute, isn't he? Even more so in person."

"Anti," Jack covered his face, already feeling it heat up. "Please don't start, not here. Those are the absolute last thoughts I need running through my head before falling asleep. ESPECIALLY now that we're living here."

"You are no fun, tonight," Anti giggled, "You've always enjoyed it when I paint such pretty pictures in your head of you and Mark-"

"SSSHHH!!!" Jack sat up quickly and covered Anti's mouth. "Not so loud!"

Anti chuckled and pulled Jack's hand away from his mouth. "Oooo~ all nervous about it now that he's right down the hall?~"

"If you want to express your own thoughts about him, that's fine, but leave mine out of it!" Jack plopped back onto the bed and pulled the sheets over his head. "Now please keep it down, I'd like to sleep."

"Oh fleshy~" he leaned over him with a grin, "You could be having so much fun right now, y'know.~"

"GOOD NIGHT, Anti."

  
\---------

  
Mark woke up early the next morning, frying an egg for breakfast and making a sandwich out of it before dashing into his recording room. He only had so many hours to work before Dark took over at noon, which meant this was going to be an eat and work kind of morning.

Dark remained silent while Mark worked, saving his own energy for while he was out.

Once his videos had been recorded, Mark edited and scheduled one for upload but sent the other to Kathryn with his login info. He left her with a message explaining he had some things to take care of today, and wouldn't be able to upload it himself.

Once that was done, he headed back to his room and plopped down on the bed. He'd learned over the years that being caught standing when Dark took his turn tended to end in a terrible headache the next day from collapsing to the floor.

"Dark," Mark called out to him, waiting a moment for his reply.

 _'You called?'_ Dark answered.

"I need you to promise me Jack won't be hurt when I wake up, tomorrow."

Dark let out a heavy sigh, _'Are you going to ask this EVERY time I'm allowed out? I am capable of making long term contracts, you know.'_

"...Alright then, let's make a deal."

Dark appeared beside him on the bed, leaning back against the wall, a brow raised in curiosity. "What do you have in mind?"

Mark sat up and turned to face him. "You swear Jack will never be hurt under your watch. If you can do that...I'll let you out more often."

Dark gave him a mild look of surprise.

"But!" Mark raised a finger to Dark to emphasize his point, "If you can't, if he's injured in any way that can't be quickly dealt with here, you can forget ever coming out again."

Dark held his hands up in defense, "Now let's be reasonable here-"

"I am being reasonable, Dark. If you hurt him, or allow him to be hurt, I will do whatever it takes to keep you locked away." Mark's face was calm, but Dark could feel the worry in his mind.

"...He means that much to you, does he?" Dark asked.

"More than you'll ever know."

Dark sighed and looked down in thought, resting his hands on his lap. The punishment if he failed felt harsh, in his opinion, but it should be easy enough to keep Jack safe. The possibility of being out more often than he currently was allowed - which even then, the last couple days had been more than usual - was too good to pass up. It would be easy.

He turned to Mark and nodded, holding out his hand. "You have a deal."

Mark shook his hand just in time to feel the first wave of dizziness hit him.

Dark eased him back on the bed, just before his image faded, returning to the dark corners of Mark's mind. As another wave of dizziness rolled over them, Dark bled to the forefront of his mind, finally opening his silver eyes.

He sat up and stretched, settling in to Mark's body. He glanced down at himself and grimaced. "Always with the tight clothing..." he muttered to himself as he stood.

He quickly stripped out of Mark's clothes and changed into his own. He let out a sigh as he straightened his hair. It bothered him when Mark left it a mess. Then again, sometimes Mark messed it up on purpose just to pick on him.

"So, what should I do today?" he wondered aloud as he opened the door, leaving Mark's room. He paused when he heard Jack's door open down the hall and turned to see Anti staring at him.

"Oh shit," Anti complained.

"Hello to you, too," Dark grumbled. He'd had no idea Anti would be out today.

"God fookin' dammit. I was hopin' to talk to the cute one, today," Anti muttered in annoyance, teleporting down to the living room.

Dark scoffed and headed down the stairs to find Anti sitting on the ceiling. "Mark and I look exactly the same."

"Pfft no. You look like an asshole." Anti stuck his tongue out at him.

"Says the asshole, himself," Dark muttered in annoyance.

"You wanna go, old man?" Anti teleported onto the floor in front of Dark, glaring at him.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with, kiddo," Dark's eyes grew several shades darker.

"Oooo~ You think I'm scared of you and your fancy eyes?" Anti held up his hands in mock fright, "Oh no, I'm so scared of the walkin' mood ring. How about you show me your real power, asshole; show me what you can really do."

"Like I'd waste my energy on you," Dark scowled. "But know this, just because I choose not to use my powers as often as you do, it doesn't mean I can't snap you like a twig between my fingers."

Anti stepped forward with a sneer, getting up in Dark's face. "I'd like to see you try.~"

Dark glared at Anti, never breaking eye contact as the green-eyed demon challenged him. Oh how badly he wished he could teach him a lesson, make him kneel at his feet and submit so he'd never challenge his authority again. He let out a low frustrated growl; he just had to accept that contract with Mark, didn't he?

"As much as I'd like to prove you wrong...I made my host a promise not to hurt yours. No matter how badly I want to pummel you into the ground," Dark explained through gritted teeth.

Anti smirked, as if somehow he'd won this already. "Nice excuse, pussy."

"It's no excuse, glitch bitch," Dark spat back, using the popular nickname as if it were an insult, "In fact, it's probably your only saving grace."

Anti let out a growl, his image seeming to dim and flicker as the air around him distorted. Much like his videos, Anti seemed to glitch more frequently as his anger rose. Dark's own body seemed to glow black as he glared back in response, the shadows in the room seeming to collect and surround him as a dark aura.

"The last thing I want to do is destroy this house today. The absolute last thing I need is another mess to deal with, so **do yourself a favor and stay out of my way.** " Dark's voice seemed to deepen and multiply as he spoke, some of his control slipping ever so slightly.

Both demons stared each other down, neither wanting to give. After what felt like several minutes of glaring and growling at each other, they finally went their separate ways, Dark turning sharply just as Anti teleported elsewhere.

Dark grumbled to himself, forcing his powers back down as he wandered the house to find something to do. This was going to be a long day if Anti was going to be this much of a pain in his ass.

  
\---------

  
The day continued on, Dark constantly moving from room to room as Anti purposefully created messes in order to pick on him. Knocking over small items at first, but graduating up to larger things throughout the day like whole bookshelves and turning over tables so the legs were in the air.

The moment Dark thought he had a moment to breathe, he was quickly corrected on the matter.

One such instance, he'd sat down on the couch and leaned back with a heavy sigh. "The house hasn't been this lively since Mark had roommates...and that was TAME in comparison," he mumbled, massaging the bridge of his nose. "Maybe watching a movie will help calm me down." As he leaned forward and reached out to pick up the remote, his hand managed to graze another. He glanced up to see that Anti had teleported in next to him and was also reaching for the remote.

Both demons quickly pulled their hands away from each other, Anti even hissing in disgust before teleporting away again.

".......DID HE JUST HISS AT ME?!"

On another occasion, Dark had returned to Mark's room in hopes of getting on his computer to find some other way of calming himself down. Only to find when he sat down and hit the power button that nothing happened. He frowned and attempted to turn it on again, but not even the light of the power button would turn on.

"What the hell?"

He knelt down on the floor and checked the back of the tower to see if any chords had fallen out. When he found none of them had been removed, he decided to check the inside of the tower. If a part was damaged, he'd have to make sure to replace it and leave a note for Mark. Or at least, he would...if any of the parts were present in the tower at all. The entire shell was empty.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me..."

Dark stood and stomped out of the room, hunting for Anti. He quickly found him, however, in Jack's room sitting on the floor while he played with a tiny fan, making it spin. Scattered across the floor were all of the missing parts, the guts, of Mark's computer.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Dark glanced between him and the parts on the floor.

"I got bored. You kinda ruined my watchin' a movie, so I had to find somethin' else to do."

"By taking apart my host's computer?!" Dark summoned up a large shadow, like a thick black smoke, that slipped underneath all of the parts to gather them up off the floor.

"Hey!" Anti stood and made to reach for them, only to be stopped in his tracks by another shadow surrounding his feet. He tried tugging himself free but the shadows wouldn't give.

"Of all the electronics in this house, why didn't you just take apart YOUR host's computer?" Dark grumbled, snatching the fan away from him.

"I'm not allowed to touch his, but I like playin' with the parts," Anti growled and tugged at his legs, "Now let me go and gimme back my toys, dammit!"

"These are not toys! Can't you find some less destructive way to entertain yourself?"

Anti stuck his tongue out at him.

Dark shook his head and left the room, returning to Mark's computer to attempt putting it back together. He released Anti from his hold only after he'd fixed it.

Later, Dark was cooking dinner for the two of them. Jack's body would need food at some point, whether Anti liked it or not, so Dark figured he might as well make enough for two. It had been unusually quiet for several minutes, and much like a parent who was letting their child play, Dark found himself very worried by the silence. He glanced behind him to see Anti sitting on the ceiling, watching him.

"I'm not goin' to eat your cookin', so don't get any funny ideas."

Dark rolled his eyes, "Then why are you even here?" His question was answered by Anti's growling stomach. "...Well, no one's forcing you to eat anything, except your own damn stomach."

"I'm still not eatin' it!," Anti retorted, crossing his arms over his chest, "You've probably poisoned it, or somethin'. I bet it doesn't even taste good. You're probably a terrible chef!"

Dark did his best to ignore him, scowling as he cooked. He'd never had to deal with this when he was out alone, now suddenly he had a noisy, stubborn toddler running around the house screaming insults at him every chance he got. "Look, you don't want it, that's fine. It's no skin off my bones if you starve yourself."

Once the food was finished, he made the plates and set one at the far end of the table. He sat at the other end and focused on eating his own food.

Anti teleported down into the chair in front of his plate and leaned forward to sniff at the plate. Dark had cooked a small pork pot roast with some baked potatoes and mixed veggies, a sauce of some kind drizzled on the meat to add flavor. Anti was tempted to throw the plate full of food at his head, but his nagging stomach wouldn't allow him to do anything without first trying it. He glanced up at Dark, who sat silently as he ate. He huffed and picked up his own fork, angrily spearing a piece of meat and shoving it in his mouth. It surprised Anti to find that it was actually quite delicious and that the sauce was sweet and fruity...and he'd be damned if he said no to anything sweet.

Dark stood when he finished, setting his plate in the sink, which was quickly covered by a second plate from above. He looked up to see Anti floating in the air, a scowl on his face. He'd clearly enjoyed the food since his plate was nearly licked clean and he still had some sauce on his lips. He's even messy when he eats, Dark sighed internally. He was babysitting. Clearly, he was babysitting a toddler. That had to be it. When Anti made to float away, Dark called after him.

"Hey glitch bitch," Anti glanced over his shoulder at him with irritation still written clearly on his face, "I cooked, so it's only fair that you do the dishes, don't you think?"

"Uh no, I don't," Anti scoffed, "I'm not your bitch, you do them."

Dark held back a growl, trying his best to stay calm. "It's two plates and a couple pans."

"So it shouldn't take you long, should it?" Anti grinned.

"Clearly you don't understand how things work here," Dark approached him slowly, "Whether you like it or not, we all have to live under this roof. Which means we all chip in, here. I cooked, you'll clean dishes, and then we can go right back to ignoring each other till midnight."

"Clearly YOU don't understand that I don't give a fook," Anti retorted in mock enthusiasm, "I do what I please while I'm out, and no one's goin' to change that. Especially not an old bastard with fancy eyes in a suit."

"How did you end up being such a spoiled brat?" Dark inched closer, squaring his shoulders as his anger threatened to let loose. He was doing his best to be civil, but Anti had been testing his patience all day, and he wasn't sure how much more he could stand. "How can your host even put up with you from day to day, making messes, refusing to listen?" He could feel his voice coming out louder than he intended, but there was little he could do to stop it.

"Leave my host out of this, fooker," Anti poked at his chest, "I'm no one's lap dog, unlike you! Look at you, cleanin' the house, cookin' meals, fixin' your host's crap. You might as well be a slave to his whim. I bet he doesn't even appreciate all of this shit you're doin'-"

"Shut up-" Dark growled through his teeth.

"So why do you bother with it? From what I can tell, he doesn't even let you out to do what you want, does he? He only lets you out when he needs you to be his show pony, otherwise you'd have been in more videos over the years. I bet Mark locks you up a bunch, doesn't he? Too scared of ya, I bet-"

"Shut. Up." Dark clenched his fists at his sides, the shadows building around him again.

"He does! He locks you up while my host lets me roam!" Anti raised his hands in the air to emphasize his point, "Face it: you're not wanted here! No one really wants you, no one here appreciates your presence. Mark even put you under contract not to hurt my host, who by the way is absolutely terrified of you! So forget tryin' to know him; it's never gonna happen! You're a lonely old bastard that no one wants around, and that's NEVER goin' to change-"

" **WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW?!** " Dark snapped, the shadow erupting from his body and shoving Anti backwards into the kitchen wall.

Before Anti had the chance to process what had happened, a hand had grabbed the front of his shirt and shoved him back against the wall, pinning him there. He looked around the room, but found nothing but darkness surrounding him. Dark's skin had paled to an ashen grey and his eyes burned a fierce bright red, like red-hot steel just pulled from a forge. "Put me down, dammit!"

" **SHUT IT**!" Dark commanded, his voice echoing loudly as he spoke, " **I've had ENOUGH of you!** " Shadows sprung from the wall and pinned Anti to it by his wrists and ankles.

Anti fought against the restraints, but like before they didn't budge. When he attempted to teleport, he felt a small shock wave spread through his body, like his attempt to teleport had back-lashed in some way. The shadows still held strong, slowly creeping down his arms, leaving him fully at Dark's mercy. "What the hell is this? Let me go!"

 **"I don't think so. You're in my world now, child, and you'd best learn to play by my rules, or face the consequences."** Dark stepped closer, grabbing Anti by the chin and forcing him to look him in the eye, **"You think you're free of all the blame, that nothing can touch you, don't you? You think the whole world revolves around you and your ego. News flash, bitch: it doesn't. And on a day like today, you're host can't save you from your own stupid mistakes. You are not invulnerable. You are NOT above your host, or mine. And you ARE NOT above ME."** A low inhuman growl resonated in his chest as he stared Anti down.

Anti, for the first time in his existence, felt a foreign sensation clench at his chest. His heart was racing, his body shaking like a leaf and, despite himself, his eyes were tearing up. He was breathing heavily and found it hard to calm himself down. He'd never felt such a strong urge to get out of a room before today. He wanted to run, he wanted to hide. One tear managed to escape down his cheek. Was this what it felt like to be afraid?

It was this one tear that snapped Dark out of his enraged state. The shadows in the room immediately fell, the ones on the wall disappearing and allowing Anti to drop to the floor, clenching his fanged teeth in fear. Dark's eyes returned to their more natural silver as he looked down at Anti, shivering in a heap on the floor, staring up at him like he'd grown another head.

Before Dark could get out another word to apologize, Anti scrambled to his feet and teleported out of the room, leaving Dark there alone in the dining room to mull over what he'd done.


	4. Apologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After scaring Anti, Dark tries to apologize.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major kudos to xXKenzyKooXx who actually wrote the bulk of this one while we were talking, last week, while we were talking about my Dark and Anti. WOOT! YOU GO GIRL!
> 
> Enjoy, guys!

Dark sighed and sank down into a chair in the dining room. He covered his face with his hands, groaning as the feeling of guilt and regret filled his mind.

He hadn’t meant to scare the smaller demon. That had never been his intention. He'd needed to put his foot down, at some point, and Anti had crossed too many lines for one day. However, Anti’s words still rang in his ears. Was it all true? Did other people really think of him that way? What had he done? Dark sighed. He'd just proved to Anti and most importantly, to himself, that the words thrown at him were true. He’s a dangerous and terrifying demon that needed to be controlled, maybe even locked way, and deserves no love and attention.

“I’m a threat...” Dark said quietly to himself. A wave of disappointment and sorrow blanketed his being. A grey aura surrounded him as he sat there, replacing the shadows that had been present earlier.

Dark took a deep breath trying to cool himself down, whether it was from his anger or his sadness, he wasn't sure. Perhaps it was both. The sudden thought that Anti is not familiar with LA worried him. Dark grimaced; of course Anti had been acting out. He was in unfamiliar territory, stuck in a strange house with people he knew little about, and now one that he feared. “I have to find him.” He sprinted out of the house, his body seeming to darken as he phased into a living shadow, traveling quickly through the streets.

 

\--------

 

Meanwhile, Anti glitched back into existence in a random location. He had no idea where he was, nor did he care. He just needed to get away from Dark, needed the horrifying and aching feeling of fear to stop. He looked around, finding himself somewhere outdoors in the night.

“Shit…” Anti mumbled. “Where the hell am I?”

The situation didn't bode well for a foreign demon who knew nothing of his new home.

From what he could tell, it appeared he was in an alleyway behind an abandoned factory building. Anti scrunched up his face in disgust at the smell of garbage in the dumpsters nearby. At least he was away from the older demon for now.

Footsteps echoed off of the walls of the alley as someone drew close, making him tense up. “Anti?” He heard Dark’s voice call out. The feeling of fear shot through him again as the footsteps grew closer.

“Anti? Where are you?” Dark called from around the corner, and Anti backed against the wall, frozen in place.

As Dark came around the corner, he turned and saw Anti pressing his back onto the wall, a look of pure horror plastered on his face. He approached the quivering demon slowly, not wanting to scare him any further. “Anti…”

“No! Get away from me!” Anti shouted and reacted on instinct. He quickly teleported away, again not caring where he ended up as long as Dark wasn't there.

Dark ran towards the glitchy body hoping to catch him before he teleported, but was too late. He placed his hands against the wall and leaned there. “Damn...” Dark lightly punched the wall, not wanting questions from Mark when he woke up tomorrow morning. “Where is he…” He melted into a shadow again and focused on sensing the fright radiating off of the green-eyed demon, following quickly after him.

 

\--------

 

Anti opened his eyes, again, not knowing where he'd ended up. He could feel that his powers were almost completely drained; he was exhausted and panting, like he'd been actually running for an hour.

He looked around to find himself surrounded by grass, in an open meadow. He reasoned he might've been in a park somewhere, but it was too dark to tell. The sliver of the moon that was visible in the sky provided very little light. The wind blew gently across the grass, the rustling of the small blades calming the demon a bit. The peaceful air of the meadow made Anti stop and think of his earlier outburst. As much as he hated to admit it - because he would never believe himself to be the wrong one in any fight, at all, in his lifetime - what he'd said was admittedly...harsh.

What he'd said wasn't false. It had been obvious while talking with Jack after that first day, and while he'd been quietly listening to Mark explain him to Jack. Why would Dark have such big reaction to it, then…unless it was the truth. It hit him then that, perhaps, Dark was lonely...but surely such a big terrifying demon didn't care that much, did he?

Anti sighed and plopped down in the grass, realizing he'd never given Dark a chance. He'd lashed out at the older demon for petty reasons, and especially because of the move. He was still new here, and even though he'd suggested Jack move in with Mark, he hadn't thought his host would take him seriously. He'd initially been joking, just trying to tease him over that little crush he has for Mark that he constantly denied was real. When he'd actually gone through with asking and Mark had said yes, he'd reasoned that maybe he'd finally be able to get back at Mark for stealing all the attention off of him. He hadn't known Dark would ACTUALLY be real, or that he'd meet him their first full day in the strange new house. It had been a huge culture shock for him and he only knew, at that time, one way to deal with things.

Anti thought back on earlier that day, how Dark had tried to calmly reason with him without using his powers at all. He'd been acting like a brat, and he knew it. He didn't even have a good excuse for his actions. After that stand-off, he'd just wanted to annoy him and prove that Dark couldn’t do anything to stop him, that Dark wasn’t as powerful as he believed himself to be. After Dark showed off his powers, though, when Anti couldn't teleport away... Just thinking about it sent another wave of chills up his spine.

Anti palmed his face, thinking about how stuck up he’d been. He may have been able to get away with such behavior before, but he'd never gone far enough to test the patience of his host. He knew his limits. Yet this time, his anger and jealousy had gotten in the way.

Suddenly, Anti’s sensitive ears heard Dark again. “Anti? Come out!”

Anti immediately stood up and looked around. He couldn’t see the other demon at all, but he could hear his voice getting closer and closer, until he suddenly disappeared. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up on end as he tried to find some trace of the older demon in the dark.

“Gotcha.” Anti yelped as he felt his wrists being gripped from behind.

“No! No! No! STAY AWAY!” Anti clenched his eyes shut, focusing on what little power he had left and teleported away again.

Dark watched hopelessly as the demon glitched into nothingness. “FUCK!” Dark growled. He needed to get to Anti fast this time. He knew Anti was about at his limit, so much so that he might not even be able to use his powers for the next five hours until he’s had adequate rest. And even then, there were only so many hours left for them in the day, assuming Anti had the same time constraints he did.

Dark’s eyes shined silver as his body faded into the air, moving quick as a shadow to find the smaller demon.

 

\--------

 

Anti eyes fluttered open. He felt weak and could barely move his body. He had officially reached past his power limit with blind teleporting. As his vision cleared, he immediately regretted opening his eyes. He was on the roof of a very tall building, and very high off the ground. Anti stumbled back away from the edge in fright. Even though he could float and teleport, he'd never exhausted his powers so heavily before now. Without either ability to help catch him if he fell, it wasn't unreasonable for him to have a fear of heights, no matter how stupid he used to think it was.

Dark could feel Anti’s fear radiating stronger than it had before. “Shit.” Dark grumbled and moved faster; Anti must be in trouble.

Anti closed his eyes and sat on the rooftop, hugging his knees to his chest. He didn't want to see how high up he was, so he let his mind focus on something else. Although he tried not to, his mind still wandered back to Dark. How lonely he actually was. How true his outburst had been towards the older demon. How pained Dark’s face was when he realized he was scaring him. How his expression had showed massive regret and guilt soon after.

Anti laid his forehead on his knees. “I didn’t mean to…” He whimpered. He hated how he took things for granted sometimes, not thinking about the consequences before spouting whatever was on his mind. He’s a big demon. He might be a brat but he still knows when to stop and what goes too far. What happened back there?

Feeling his own regret and guilt crawl up his spine, he quivered, not liking the ache he’s experiencing. He doesn’t think he can live in that house in peace, anymore. Even now, he doesn’t think he can go "home." Dark might even give up looking for him soon, since he didn’t want to be anywhere near the bigger demon.

Anti sighed. “I screwed up, didn’t I…”

“Well, I would agree but I’ll admit I had some issues, myself.”

Anti’s whole body tensed up in absolute fear as he lifted his head. Standing in front of him was the well polished demon in his fancy suit, a demon capable of absolutely disintegrating him into nothingness. Anti quickly stumbled onto his feet as his natural instinct to run screamed at him. He was terrified and he didn’t know what to do. He tried to teleport again out of habit, but his lack of energy left him stranded there with a headache.

Dark reached out to stop him. “Wait, stop, you’re going to fall!”

Anti didn’t listen and continued moving back towards the edge of the roof. He tripped over the edge and fell backwards off of the roof, screaming for his life. With the loss of energy and the pure terror of the fall, Anti quickly passed out, the whole world seeming to fade into darkness.

 

\--------

 

Anti groaned as he opened his eyes, returning from the dark abyss for the umpteenth time.

He looked around to find himself back in Jack’s room. How had he gotten back here? “I’m…not a puddle of meat and bones on the ground?” Anti asked no one in particular.

“I would hope not.”

Anti flinched, his body beginning to shake again; he was getting tired of this panicked and uneasy feeling. He quickly sat up and backed away from the source of the sound, planting himself against the bedroom wall. He turned to see Dark sitting nearby in Jack's computer chair. He grabbed the pillow and held it up like a shield in case Dark tried to attack him again. But all he saw was the mighty demon raise his hands in surrender.

“Please. Just listen to me.” Dark pleaded.

Anti stared at him for several minutes while Dark sat there, waiting patiently. He nodded slowly, letting him talk, despite the feeling of distress digesting him, but kept his pillow shield up in defense.

“I am terribly sorry, Anti.” Dark started. “I know you are more accepted by the rest of the world, even Mark and Jack. Which is the reason why you act so freely regardless of your surroundings. I should have tolerated your actions more, knowing this, and looked at the situation from your perspective.”

Anti furrowed his eyebrows. This didn’t help the pained feeling of guilt within him at all.

“And you were right,” Dark continued. “I’m not wanted here. No one really wants me, and no one here appreciates my presence. I apologize for lashing out at you for...basically just telling me the truth of the situation.” He sighed. “I will leave you alone now. Rest well.”

Anti felt his breathing grow heavier as he watched Dark stand and head for the door. Dark had saved him, somehow, and now he was apologizing to him for being lonely and lashing out. That just wasn’t right.

“Wait!” Anti shouted.

Dark paused, resting his hand on the doorknob. “Is…there anything you need?”

Anti clutched at the blanket next to him and dropped the pillow. “N-no…I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Dark turned back to Anti with a confused yet astonished look on his face.

“Even if what I said might be true…” Anti went on, “You didn’t deserve to have it brought up so harshly and shoved in your face like that…”

Dark gave Anti a small smile, making Anti's stomach feel strange. What was that? Was he sick? He never gets sick...

“But it is the truth. It’s okay. I-”

“No, it’s not okay!” Anti interrupted. “I didn’t understand you and I refused to even try to get to know you. I hated you right from the start without givin' you a chance to show me who you really are. And I’m sorry…” Anti whimpered. “I know what you’re capable of now. Please don’t hurt me…”

Dark exhaled slowly, not knowing he’d been holding his breath. He made his way over to Anti, placing a hand on him and rubbing his shoulder. Anti flinched at Dark’s touch, causing Dark to immediately retract his hand. “I saved you. Why would I hurt you?” Dark assured Anti.

Anti played with his fingers, casting his eyes down. “Why did you?”

Dark blinked. “Because you don’t deserve to die…over such a pesky little argument…” he said.

Something about that statement made Anti's stomach feel weird again. He wasn't sure how to describe it; the only word that made sense was "flutter," like he had moths or birds in his stomach. What was it? And why did it make him feel...kind of happy? He wasn't sure what was going on with him today.

"Besides…I made a promise that Jack wouldn’t be hurt…not a scratch,” Dark finished.

Anti felt something in him sink. So Dark saved him to keep Jack in check? “H-how long have I been out?” Anti asked, trying to change the subject.

“Three hours.” Dark answered.

Anti groaned and nodded slowly. He'd lost a lot of time, then. “Thanks for savin' me…”

“It was the right thing to do.” Dark inched closer to the door. “I made some soup while you slept,” Dark smiled, “Let me reheat it and bring some up for you.” He said, and walked out of the room.

Anti felt heat pool around his cheeks at Dark’s smile. He’s blushing? Why would he be blushing? What was his body doing?! Maybe Jack's crush on Mark was bleeding through; their day was almost over, so it made some sense...well, no, it made no sense. It'd never been an issue before. He closed his eyes to think of Dark in his usual stoic state, yet his body reacted by quivering in fear. Great. He was going through strange mood swings from Hell.

Anti held onto his head and groaned. “I’m foukin’ messed up...”


	5. What Happened?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dark and Anti are not themselves and the boys just want to know why.

The moment Dark was downstairs he braced himself against the wall, breathing heavily with his hand pressed over his heart. His knees shook, threatening to buckle and send him tumbling to the floor. He looked down at his hand as he removed it from his chest; shadows trailed from his shaky hand and broad chest like smoke on a charred log, licking away at his flesh.

  
"N-No..." he clenched his hand into a fist and willed them back, the shadows dissipating until they were no longer there. "I don't care how weak you think I am, now. You do MY bidding..." he growled.

He took a few minutes to catch his breath. That was too close. The whole night had been too close! All the messes around the house, losing his temper, Anti running off, the fall, and now this... Everything about it had gone terribly, and he hated it. All he'd wanted was to have a decent day, despite Anti's sass, and that clearly hadn't worked out. He'd barely managed to get Anti back to the house, and now...

  
"D-Dark..." Dark straightened and glanced up the stairs. Anti was peeking out of Jack's door, the hesitant look still present on his face. Dark could feel that Anti was nervous, still. Had he really scared him that bad? "D-Don't worry about the soup...I'm just gonna...go to sleep..."

Dark nodded, keeping calm and collected. "Sleep well, then..."

Anti ducked back into Jack's room, shutting and locking the door behind him with an audible "click!"

Dark sighed and trudged over to the couch. He sat down and laid back, kicking his feet up to sprawl across it. He draped an arm over his eyes, not wanting to use his powers to block out the orange glow of the street lamps that crept in through the windows. It was almost midnight, and he'd barely gotten any rest. He knew from past experience that as drained as he felt, he and Mark would both be feeling exhausted the next day. Mark would be the lucky one, though. He'd just feel sore. Dark would be taking the blunt of it all.

 _Tomorrow is going to be a long day..._ he thought as he finally drifted off to sleep on the couch.

  
\----------

  
Jack woke up late the next day, feeling physically exhausted. Usually, the day after Anti had control, he felt fine. On rare occasions he even felt well rested. Today, however, all Jack wanted to do was rollover and go back to sleep. "Ugh...Anti, what did you do yesterday?" he groaned, covering his head with his pillow to block out the afternoon sun, "I feel like absolute crap..."

Anti didn't answer.

Jack sighed. "I'm glad I have a small buffer, still," he said, referring to the 2 days worth of videos he still had ready to upload on his computer. "Otherwise, this would be a problem."

He lay there in bed, debating about just staying there and letting the day pass without him. No one would notice if he just went off radar for a day, right? At that moment, his stomach growled loudly. Nope, his stomach would notice. He had to at least get up and eat something. He groaned again and rolled out of bed. "Seriously, Anti, what did you do?"

"Nothin'..." came the quiet answer from the ceiling above him. Anti was facing away from him, hunched over for some reason.

"Well it couldn't have been nothin'. Feels like you did a lot, yesterday. You go to a gym or somethin'?" he asked, rubbing at his neck and back.

"...no..."

"Well, I'm headin' downstairs. I need some coffee...and food." Jack glanced up at him, "You forgot to eat, didn't you?"

"No, I ate..." Anti grumbled.

Jack was surprised by the tone in his voice; why did Anti sound...almost upset?

He shrugged and made his way down the hall and stairs. On his way past the living room, he glanced up and froze. Laying on the couch was someone with a very familiar face, and from the clothing he was wearing, he only had one guess who it could be.

Great, he thought, Dark's out today...at least I can tell when he's around...

Dark, or at least whom he could only assume was Dark, lay on the couch with his eyes closed. It was hard to be sure, really. As far as Jack could tell, Mark and Dark looked exactly the same. The only difference was the clothes they wore. One arm hung off the couch while the other rested up by his head. Jack bit his bottom lip...should he try to get a closer look at him? What if he woke up? What would he do?

 _I should just go to the kitchen_ , he thought, glancing between Dark and the kitchen as he sat on the edge of the coffee table. _I came downstairs for coffee and maybe some food...not to oggle. Why am I even ogglin' in the first place?!_

Jack jumped slightly as the figure on the couch stirred and opened his eyes.

"Ugh, what hit me?" he groaned as he sat up, holding a hand to his head. "Why am I on the couch?" He glanced down at himself and let out a sigh, "Dark, you could've at least changed into my pajamas before falling asleep."

"...Mark?" Jack relaxed and gave him a puzzled look.

Mark looked at him and smiled, "Oh hey! Good morning. Sleep well?"

"I slept late, if that's what you mean. Why are you dressed like Dark?" Jack asked, "I thought you were him when I came downstairs."

Mark swung his feet off the couch and leaned his elbows against his knees. His whole body felt sore. "I don't know...This has only happened one other time, and it's been years." He hung his head, "What did you guys do, yesterday? I feel like I climbed a mountain, or something..."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, confused.

"Dark was out yesterday. You were here weren't you?" Mark asked, rubbing his sore neck.

Jack shook his head, "No, Anti was in control yesterday..."

Mark furrowed his brow in confusion. "So, wait...Dark was out, and you say Anti was out...oh god..." he buried his face in his hands, "I hope nothing bad happened." Mark suddenly felt worried and looked at Jack, placing his hand on his shoulders. "Are you ok? Are you hurt anywhere? Is there any pain?" he asked rapid fire, looking him over for any visible cuts or bruises.

"Hey, hey," Jack blushed slightly and pulled Mark's hands away; as much as he liked how they felt, this wasn't the time to be thinking about it, "I'm ok, Mark. I'll admit, the backs of my heels hurt a little, but I've already looked them over. There's nothing there. I'm just really tired."

Mark let out a small sigh of relief. Dark had kept his promise.

"...can, uh...Can you, maybe, go change clothes?" Jack asked, "This is kinda weird, talking to you but seeing Dark..."

Mark chuckled and looked at his clothes again. "Yeah, I bet. I'll be right back," he smiled and headed upstairs to his room to change.

Once he was out of sight, Anti appeared, glitching into view on the couch, hugging his knees to his chest. "God, that was close..."

Jack turned to Anti, "What the hell happened yesterday? I'm tired, Mark's sore," Jack gestured a hand towards the stairs as he mentioned Mark, "and you are extremely quiet, which is very unlike you! Usually, first thing in the mornin', you're talkin' my ear off about one thing or the other. What happened?"

Anti twiddled his thumbs, still hugging his knees. "I don' wanna talk about it..."

"Yes you do! You ALWAYS do! Now what happened, I need to know, and so does Mark."

"I don't want t' talk about it," Anti spoke in a firmer tone, not meeting Jack's eyes, "When I'm ready to talk about it, I'll talk!" His image seemed to distort slightly. "I don't even know everything that happened!"

"How could you not know? You were out at the same time as Dark!"

Anti teleported to some other part of the house, ending the conversation.

Jack tossed his hands up and let them fall to his lap. Clearly he wouldn't be getting an answer to his question anytime soon. He could ask Dark, but he was so...unsettling to be around. Jack couldn't even think about him without feeling a cold chill run down his spine. Maybe he could get Mark to ask him.

Jack's stomach growled again.

But first, some food. Jack pushed himself up off the table and darted for the kitchen.

 

Upstairs, Mark strolled over to his closet, already unbuttoning the vest and shirt. He tossed them on the bed and pulled off the dress shoes and slacks. It was unusually quiet in his head, today. No comment about folding the clothes properly, even though they were going in the dirty clothes; no remark on...well anything; not even a tease about Jack, which he'd been getting on and off since his friend had arrived, usually when Mark was working on something.

"Hey, Dark," Mark called, grabbing shorts from his dresser and slipping them on. No reply came. "Hey, you awake in there?" Mark asked again while he looked through his closet.

"Ugh...what do you want?" Dark grumbled, appearing next to the closet door frame, leaning against the wall.

Mark glanced at him and jumped slightly. "Holy crap..."

Dark did not look at all like his usual clean and proper self. His hair was disheveled, almost like he'd been tossing and turning in bed, and the bags under his eyes were so dark that he almost looked like a raccoon. There was even a little stubble on his cheeks and upper lip that hadn't been there before.

"Man, you look like shit..."

"Thank you, so much, for that lovely evaluation, Mark," Dark grumbled, "Your observatory skills are truly amazing..." He rubbed at his forehead, like he was trying to rub out a headache.

"Geez, sarcastic much? What happened to you?"

"I got hit by a bus. Why do you care?" Dark answered sarcastically, again.

"Because we shared the same body, yesterday, and I'd like to know why I'm sore all over and Jack's exhausted." Mark pulled out his white tee with large blue and purple flowers on the shoulders, slipping it over his head and pulling it on. "What is with the sarcasm, today?"

"What's with the early morning round of twenty questions?" Dark shot back at him.

"...Dark, it's after 2pm." Mark stared at him.

Dark frowned slightly and checked the clock that hung on the wall. Mark was right, it was 2:35pm.

"Are you really that out of it?" Mark asked. He'd never seen Dark so irritable and out of sync with the world around him. What had happened, last night?

Dark promptly ignored the question and walked over to the bed to grab his clothes. As he bent over to pick them up, he swayed on his feet, bracing himself on the bed to stay steady.

"Maybe you shoul-..." Mark was about to touch Dark's back when images flickered into view in his mind's eye: Anti walking through Jack's door, various messes, a computer in pieces. A tiny feeling of calm washed over him briefly, seeing Anti eating dinner and enjoying it, before a sudden rage swept it away. Anti was pinned to a wall in black smoke, fear in his eyes, followed by flashes of various locations he didn't recognize and a deep, strong sense of regret. Panic was the next feeling that hit him, and he saw Anti step backwards and fall out of view. Mark stumbled backwards as his vision cleared, the feeling of panic having been so strong that it kicked him back into reality. "Wha-...what was that?"

Dark didn't answer. He quickly grabbed his clothes, stuffing them in the basket Mark kept in the corner, and grabbing it. "I'm doing laundry," he stated, not making eye contact as he walked out the door, heading downstairs before Mark could ask more.

"...what the fuck was all that?!" Mark thought out loud, left there to stare at the empty open doorway.

"Shit..." Dark grumbled as he trudged down the stairs, carrying the basket with him to the laundry room. He had no doubt that something had slipped through and he worried Mark would get the wrong idea. That night hadn't been great, no, but no one had gotten seriously hurt. Mark wouldn't have seen the end, though, he was sure.

Dark glanced up as he passed through the kitchen and paused.

Jack stood over by the coffee maker, mid sip in his coffee mug, staring at Dark like he'd stroll over to him any second and bite his head off. Jack felt an overwhelming wave of fear crash over him as Dark stood there, staring at him. Everything told him to run; it was even worse than the other day.

Dark had briefly seen Anti sitting in the kitchen on the table, before he teleported away with a small squeak. He sighed and continued on his way to the laundry room, which was essentially just the two machines in the large basement.

Jack watched him carefully till he was out of sight, disappearing down the stairs. _Dark looks terrible today_ , he thought. When he'd seen him, before, he was very orderly, professional looking. But this? This was not the same demon he'd seen before. Fear paired with concern and curiosity the more Jack thought about it.

Jack set down his mug and quietly walked over to the basement stairs, peering down them to watch Dark from afar.

Dark had paused to lean against the wall, panting heavily. Why did he look so haggard? Jack saw him move to continue down the stairs after a minute and stumble on the stairs. "Shit!" He lost his balance and started to fall, dropping the basket in order to try and catch himself.

Jack ran down the stairs and grabbed Dark's hand, grabbing the railing on the wall with his free hand. "Gotcha!"

Dark looked up at him, surprised to see Jack not only near him but holding his hand.

Jack hoisted Dark back up onto his feet and looked down at him from the higher step. "Are you okay?" he asked, concern clear on his face.

Why was Jack concerned for him? Jack was afraid of him, that much had been clear, just like it had been with Anti. "...I am fine, thank you." Dark looked away and pulled his hand free from Jack's grasp. He looked down the stairs and sighed. The dirty clothes had scattered all over the last half of the stairs and the basement floor in front of the last step, where the basket now lay on it's side. He shook his head slowly and started on his way down the stairs, carefully bending down to gather up the laundry.

Jack felt like he should help him. He looked exhausted and clearly it was hindering his ability to function...was that even a concern for...are they demons? Jack realized he wasn't even entirely sure what they were. Not that it mattered; Dark needed help, no matter how creepy or scary he might be. After convincing himself he'd played enough horror games to handle helping a demon pick up laundry off of the floor, he stepped down a few steps and knelt down, picking up some shirts before continuing down the stairs to grab the basket and stand it up, tossing the clothes there on the floor back into it.

Dark watched him for a second; why was he helping?

Once they collected the clothes and placed them in the basket, Dark picked it up and thanked him again, taking it over to the machines to toss some of it in the washer.

"...A-Are you sure you're alright?" Jack asked hesitantly.

Dark paused to look at him, noticing Jack flinch slightly under his gaze. "I assure you, I am fine. Don't let me keep you from breakfast."

Jack nodded and made to head back up the stairs.

Dark listened as Jack started up the steps. This wasn't right...he should at least take the opportunity to apologize, right? He sighed after a long drawn out moment, "...Jack?"

Jack froze and glanced over his shoulder at him.

Dark turned and bowed slightly, "I apologize, again, for the other day. It was not my intention to frighten you, and I recognize I could've handled the situation better."

"I-It's okay..." Jack waved it off, "Really...I know Anti can be a handful, and he didn't exactly have the best opinion of you before we moved here. To be fair, though, I didn't even know you existed..."

Dark straightened and nodded, "We were not aware Anti was, either."

  
Anti walked into the kitchen, looking around for his host. Where was he? And where was Dark?

He'd teleported out the moment Dark had walked in and spent some time in Jack's room, hoping the larger demon would pass on through and just leave him be, maybe not even notice he'd been there. Granted, he had to admit, it was stupid of him to abandon his host like that with a potential danger, but Dark was just so...scary!

"Where the hell is he?" he muttered to himself. As he made his way over to the sliding door to see if they were outside, he heard a quiet voice from somewhere nearby.

"...so, what happened yesterday?" That was Jack's voice! He glanced behind him and saw that the door to the basement was open. Jack stood at the bottom of the stairs and Dark was standing in front of him, just barely out of sight.

He heard Dark sigh. "I'm not particularly proud of it..."

"Even so...shouldn't Mark and I know, at least? I mean...we're both sore or tired, and you look like shit..."

Anti bit at his lip; he kind of wanted the answer to that himself. Mostly, he wanted to know how Dark had saved him. He knew he couldn't have survived that fall, yet somehow here he stood... He moved to one side of the door and leaned against the wall, listening to their voices as they drifted up the stairs.

Dark was silent a moment before he spoke again, "I suppose you're right..."

Anti leaned closer to the doorway, straining to hear everything Dark would say.

He heard him explain everything that had happened throughout the day: Anti's mess-making, refusal to help with one chore, and how Dark himself had lost his temper with him. Anti noticed how Dark's voice seemed to soften the longer he talked about it, no longer as rigid as when he'd first started. "I felt terrible for frightening him. It had never been my intention to do so, I just...I snapped, I got angry. I chased after him to try and apologize, and he doesn't know the area so I couldn't let him wander LA alone. But he kept teleporting away from me...he ran out of energy..."

Anti was waiting anxiously for the rest when Mark came down the stairs into the living room, distracting him from the conversation. When Mark spotted him in the kitchen, he made a b-line straight for him. Before Anti could react, Mark grabbed his wrist, causing him to gasp. “What happened yesterday, Anti?"

"I-I don't kno-," Anti shuddered as a vision of an angry Dark, with ashen skin and burning red eyes, flashed in front of his eyes, briefly obscuring Mark who still held his wrist in hand.

"You have to know something! Dark won't tell me, and you were there too. What happened?" Mark just wanted answers. Why would neither of them talk?

"I don't know!" Anti struggled to get out of his grip, Dark's image periodically flashing through his mind's eye. "Please, just don't hurt me!"

Mark looked at him, confused. "I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to know what happened."

"Let go of me!" Anti's whole body was starting to shiver uncontrollably. He was so scared, he just wanted to be left alone, to be calm, to go back to playing tricks and having fun. Why did he have to fear anything? He felt so trapped.

Mark could feel Anti shiver in his grasp and couldn't understand why. Was Anti...afraid of him? Shouldn't this be the other way around?

Before anyone could process entirely what had happened, a black shadow zipped between them, an arm knocking Mark's hand away from Anti's wrist. Anti's eyes widened at the sight, the familiar black vest and red dress shirt sleeves were all too familiar as they wrapped slightly behind Dark in an almost protective gesture.

"Leave him be! He doesn't know anything!" Dark yelled at Mark, his eyes cast down to the floor. Dark had felt Anti's fear radiating off of him like a blaring siren being sounded. He'd barely thought before zipping up the basement stairs to defend him.

Jack came running up the stairs to find a very strange scene.

"I'm sorry! Punish me if you have to, but don't interrogate him about something he knows little to nothi-" Dark swayed, his knees finally buckling under him as his eyes slid shut.

Mark leapt forward to catch him as Dark fell to the floor, "Whoa, Dark!" He turned to Jack for help, who was already there to help carry Dark to the living room.

Anti stood in the kitchen, alone and surprised, for several minutes before wandering over to the archway that lead to the living room. From where he stood, he couldn't see Dark on the couch where they'd left him. Dark had saved him twice in less than 24 hours. Why? Why would he do that?

"I don't know what happened, I was just trying to ask what had happened, yesterday. Suddenly, there he was, yelling at me," Mark rubbed at the back of his neck, watching Dark from his spot across the room. "I've never seen him get like this..."

"I think I might have an answer..." Jack watched as Anti slowly wandered into the living room and sat on the coffee table.

"You found out what happened?" Mark asked.

Jack nodded and explained to Mark everything that had happened the previous night. Anti listened closely while his eyes stayed glued to the now sleeping figure. "When he finally caught up to him, Anti had lost too much energy and he tripped and fell off of the building."

Mark was immediately angry, now knowing that what he'd seen in those 'visions' had actually happened. He clenched his fists and shot a glare at the sleeping demon. "He's lucky I don't lock him away for letting that happen-"

"Mark, Mark, calm down," Jack placed his hands on Mark's shoulders, trying to regain his attention.

"How am I supposed to calm down knowing that you could've been hurt or worse?" Mark turned his gaze back on Jack.

"Anti fell, yes," Jack continued, "but Dark caught him. He described it to me. Apparently, he immediately dove off that rooftop after him." Jack watched Mark's face soften as he explained, "He caught him quickly and...how'd he explain it? He said he...thickened the shadows being cast in that alleyway and they both landed in it like they landed in water. They floated harmlessly down to the ground, no injuries or anything. But he had to use his power again to make an emergency trip back while carrying Anti. Apparently turning two people into shadows requires A LOT of energy. That's why he looks tired, that's why he finally fainted. He's tapped out..."

Mark glanced at Dark before casting his eyes to the floor. He'd doubted him. Dark had kept his promise, and he'd doubted him. "Man...I feel like an ass..."

Anti didn't bother to listen to the rest of the conversation, too busy focusing on what he'd just heard. So THAT was how he did it? He looked him in the face then, observing the peacefulness of his features. Dark was so still, so calm...and relaxed......and handsome. Anti blushed at his own thought, but it was true. He, himself, could never hope to compare.

...why was his heart pounding in his chest?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm SO SORRY this took so long to write! A lot of things came up in my life, and between those and some writer's block, I just could not get this out as quick as I wanted to.
> 
> Ch. 6 will not take nearly as long, that I promise.


	6. Strange Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Dark rests and recovers, Mark and Jack have a talk while Anti's acting strange.

Jack stifled a yawn as he walked down the stairs in his pajamas, a t-shirt and shorts. He’d been in bed for a few hours already, tossing and turning from the lack of noise in his room. It was strange how that worked. He used to love silence, now he couldn’t stand it. He paused to peer around the wall that stopped halfway down the steps and looked into the dark living room. It was dimly lit by the orange street lights outside, but he could still make out Anti sitting on the floor next to the couch, his arms folded and leaned on the edge of the cushions.

He couldn't understand it. Just the idea of meeting Dark had made Anti fume before, but now he refused to leave his side for even a second. What was going on in that silly demon's head? It was strange to see him so calm, too. So still. He'd noticed it earlier when he and Mark had finished discussing what had happened the previous night.

 

\------

 

"Man...I feel like an ass..." Mark sighed.

"You should. There was no need to start interrogatin' Anti. He knew nothin' about it," Jack crossed his arms. He wasn't particularly happy about Mark pinning Anti like that, at least from what he'd seen. Anti might be a dick sometimes, but he really wasn't all that bad. Even Jack felt a bit protective of him, defending him from fans that didn't care for Anti as a character.

"I didn't know," Mark rubbed at the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed about his actions earlier. "I wasn't even trying to pin him. I just wanted answers. Our first week living in the same house, and everything's going nuts."

Jack sighed. "I get it, you were anxious. So was I. We didn't know anythin' about what happened while they were both alone with each other, and don't get me wrong, that's a scary thought." He could only imagine how things could've gone had Dark not reigned in his temper as much as he did, and it was obvious he had a hell of a temper if he was tested too much. "It could've been worse though, Mark. I mean, think about it. They spent a whole day together trapped in the same house and the worst that happened was Dark, after a long ass day with Anti bein’ even more annoyin' than usual on purpose, lost his temper a little and made a verbal threat. And then he brought Anti back home safely and apologized..." Jack paused to let that thought sink in, and he could see on Mark's guilty face that it was in fact sinking in. "I think you don't give Dark enough credit..."

"How am I supposed to?" Mark shrugged, "He's a demon, Jack. Every piece of lore out there says 'don't trust a demon.'"

"Well my experience with Anti says ‘don't judge a book by it's cover,’ Mark," Jack sighed. "Dark's been around much longer. I would think if he was goin' to hurt anyone, he'd have done it by now, don't you?" Granted, Dark still freaked Jack out; Dark had a presence about him that seemed to make his body scream "RUN," but sometimes instincts jumped to conclusions.

Mark glanced over at Dark laying on the couch and Jack followed his gaze.

Anti sat there on the coffee table the whole time, staring at Dark, at least from what Jack could tell. His back was facing them while they talked, not really interested in the conversation.

"All I'm sayin' is at least consider...havin' a little more faith in him," Jack suggested, turning back to look at Mark. "If we're all goin' to be livin' together for the next few months, then it would be better to try gettin' along. All of us."

Mark heaved a heavy sigh and nodded. "You're right. I'll try to...give him more leeway. We've gotta make this work."

Jack smiled at him. "There you go. So..." Jack glanced at Dark again, "Do we just...leave him there? Or?"

"Might as well. He was heavy enough to carry to the couch, let alone up the stairs," Mark glanced over at him as well, "I've never seen him this drained, before. Closest thing to this was years ago, but it wasn't nearly this bad. He'll probably be out for a while, so just let him sleep."

Jack was a little curious about that statement, but he'd ask Mark about it at a later date. For now, they needed to get on with the day and he really needed to start recording. He only had so many videos left from before the move. "Alright. Let's eat somethin' and get to work, then. I'm foukin' starvin'!"

Mark chuckled. “Come on, I’ll make pancakes.”

“WOO! Pancakes!” Jack cheered, throwing his arms in the air.

 

They’d gone on with their day after that, eating breakfast, recording videos, stopping for lunch, and then just relaxing in the backyard. Jack had gotten some playtime with Chica, ruffling her fur and running around in the grass after picking her up. She'd spent a few nights at a friend's house so that they could focus on getting Jack moved in. Mark had discussed ideas for future videos with him here and there when he’d take quick breaks from running with Chica. It was honestly really fun for him seeing Mark everyday, getting to chat in person rather than on Skype, getting to run around with Chica on his off time rather than sit on the couch and wonder what to do.

When they’d come back in later, as the sun was setting, Jack walked through the living room with Mark and Chica and found that Anti still hadn’t moved from his spot. “Uh, Anti? You plannin’ on movin’ anytime soon?” Jack asked. Anti barely glanced at him and simply huffed in reply. Jack raised a brow, confused. “Okay then...I’ll just leave you to it.”

With every pass through the living room, Jack found Anti in the same place, sometimes leaning on the couch and sometimes sitting back against the coffee table.

“I don’t get it,” Jack sighed, laying sprawled out on Mark’s bed. He’d never admit it to him, but being in Mark’s room on his bed always made his heart race. And what made it even more nerve-wracking was that he’d only briefly done so during previous visits to the states. A total of twice, actually. And in those instances, he’d only sat on the edge for maybe a minute total while Mark showed him something on the computer. Now, here he was, laying on his bed with Mark only a few feet away. He had to actively stop himself from imagining what could happen. Didn’t help that he was surrounded by Mark’s scent. It was everywhere in this room. Normally it wouldn't have been too strong, but here, there was no mistaking it. He used to wonder why some girls kept one of their boyfriends shirts, and now it was starting to make sense.

Mark was sitting at his personal computer looking through his social media at the various fanart his fans had tagged him in recently. “What, Anti hanging around Dark?”

“Yeah, it doesn’t make any sense,” Jack continued while staring at the ceiling, “He absolutely hated Dark before we came to the states, and he hadn’t even met him yet. Now he’s all over him. It’s weird…”

“Well, technically, he did have a near death experience,” Mark pointed out, “Also I wouldn’t say he’s ‘all over him.’ I mean, if he was all over him, he’d probably be on top of him or something. He is sticking awfully close to him, though.”

“Right,” Jack blushed slightly. The mental image that made did not help his nerves at all. “I guess that’s a good point. He might just be anxious to thank him… I’ve never known him to say thank you, though.”

“Well, I’ve never known Dark to get defensive,” Mark sat back from his computer and looked at Jack, “about anything. It was like he thought I was going to hurt Anti. Which I’d like to clear up, I wasn’t going to!”

“I know, Mark, relax,” Jack chuckled slightly. “We’re still figurin’ things out and emotions were runnin’ high this mornin’. Don’t worry.”

Mark smiled at him, “Anyway, there’s a first time for everything, right? Maybe...being stuck in the same house with each other will be good for them.”

“I think you’re just happy you don’t have to deal with Dark alone,” Jack smirked at him.

“Get out of my head, you mind reader!” Mark chuckled, kicking the edge of the mattress playfully.

“Never!” Jack laughed, “I shall read your mind whenever it so pleases me to.~ For I am Jack, The All-Seeing, The MAGNIFICENT!”

“The magnificently loud!”

 

\------

 

Jack frowned slightly, watching Anti sit there in the dark room next to the couch. Mark was right, there is a first time for everything. But in the case of Anti, he just wasn’t sure he would change that quickly. They’d only been here for maybe a week. Then again, falling off the top of a building without the energy to teleport was probably the biggest fright Anti had ever had. He’d obviously been very shaken by it. He hadn’t even wanted to tell him about it...almost like he was embarrassed.

Jack finished the trek down the stairs and tiptoed over to Anti, approaching him from behind. Dark was still asleep and breathing evenly.

“Anti…” he stepped a little closer, bending down slightly to talk to him, “Anti, he’ll still be there in the mornin'...hey.” He placed a hand on Anti’s shoulder, figuring he’d turn and look at him. When he didn’t move, though, Jack looked at him confused. “...are you asleep?” He stood up straight and walked around the coffee table. He knelt down to get a look at his face and was surprised to see Anti’s eyes were closed. “Damn, you are asleep…” He’d never seen Anti sleep, before. He usually just disappeared into his head or stayed awake till Jack would pass out. He was almost afraid to touch him again. “I think I’ll just leave you here.” Jack stood and headed back upstairs. He’d just wanted to check on him. It was weird not having Anti pop into his room and talk his ear off about something. But then, there was a first time for everything, and it wasn't like Anti had always been hanging around before last year.

He shut his bedroom door behind him and plopped back down on his bed, staring at the ceiling again. “Everything will be fine,” he muttered to the darkness of his room. He nodded and covered up, rolling onto his side to settle in and drift off to sleep.

  


In the middle of the night, a quiet groan rang through the air as a certain demon began to stir for the first time in several hours. His grey cat-like eyes fluttered open... Where was he? What happened? Dark raised a hand to his forehead, rubbing at it in hopes of dispelling his headache. He felt so tired. He’d been this way only one time before, and it wasn’t something he was particularly keen on reliving.

He glanced around the room, at least what he could see in the amber light of the street lights that trickled in through the windows. The entertainment system, the couch under him; he was in the living room again. Fuck, why was he on the couch for a second time? “I feel like shit…” he mumbled. He felt slightly better than before, at least. He’d been dead on his feet most of the day.

Dark slowly sat up on his elbows and felt something brush against his arm.

“What the…?” He looked down at his arm, about ready to smack something away or absorb a shadow; either would be likely at this point. Shadows could be annoying little pests sometimes.

Instead what he found left him puzzled. Anti sat on the floor by the couch, his head on the cushions with one hand tucked under his cheek and the other hand on Dark’s. He was asleep, but Dark could sense… strange emotions rolling off of him. They were all jumbled and confused. He could pick out fear, that was obvious and understandable, and some form of… was it awe? He wasn’t sure, but the rest… it was hard to tell. They were too muddled to separate while he was asleep. And yet, Anti’s face looked so calm and relaxed.

Dark laid himself back down on the couch, studying Anti’s face with a furrowed brow. It was interesting to see how soft his features were when he slept, how innocent he looked, compared to the scowl he’d had most of the time or the look of fear that had been on his face since he'd scared him. Why was Anti, the same demon who earlier had been too afraid to stand in the same room with him, sitting next to him asleep? AND touching him? No one EVER touched him… Not that he hated it, it just never happened.

Actually...he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about it, now that he focused on it.

He stared at Anti’s hand where it lay over his, so gentle and light. This was so...strange. Having another person touch him was so foreign, anymore. He wasn’t sure if he could remember the last time someone had touched him so gently and without an ulterior motive. Dark hesitantly and slowly turned his hand over onto its side under Anti’s, curious to see what would happen. To his surprise, Anti’s hand grasped his tight. Its owner mumbled in his sleep and nuzzled his face further into the cushion.

Dark furrowed his brows. It had been a long time since another human, or humanoid rather, had touched him. He was contemplating whether to wake Anti up when a tiny, quiet chirp caught his attention. The shadow demon turned his head to find a white ferret with ruby red eyes climbing onto the couch from the back and scurrying over to him. It acted nervous, almost worried even, as it jumped down onto his chest and sniffed at his chin.

“Hey Jewel…” Dark pet the little ferret, smiling as she relaxed and closed her eyes in her own little smile. “I’m alright, don’t worry. I should be worried if Mark fed you properly. Hope there were no problems with Chica today."

Jewel wiggled her little body against his hand and nipped his wrist. She was fine, although admittedly hungry.

Dark chuckled. “You know where your food is. Go get it. I…” he glanced at Anti, who still slept soundly, “I’m not really sure I can move at the moment.”

Jewel tilted her head and turned to look toward Anti’s green hair.

“I know, it’s kind of silly, but I don’t want to wake him,” Dark explained, “The last thing he needs is another scare… He already has to live here when he’d rather be elsewhere.”

Jewel wasn’t sure why her master was acting so strangely. She’d seen him wake up his host on numerous occasions, sometimes for no reason at all. Why did he care about this one? Whatever the reason, she was hungry and not about to waste more time wondering. She nuzzled her head under his chin and nipped at his goatee, earning a smile and soft chuckle from him as always, and scurried down to the other end of the couch to jump down.

Dark sighed and relaxed against the couch again, turning his head back to look at Anti who still slept soundly. It was almost like this was the most natural thing in the world for him...almost. There wasn’t much Dark could do at present. It was early, Anti had a hold of him, and he was extremely tired. Might as well not fight it. So he closed his eyes and let his body relax, drifting off into the dark dreamless landscape of his mind once again.

 

\------

 

As sunlight filtered through the windows, a certain green haired demon stirred from his slumber, his eyes fluttering open to the sight of a sleeping Dark. There was that feeling again, his heart pounding, the slight flutter in his stomach. What was it? And why was he feeling it again just because he woke up to see him? He lifted his head, wiping at his eyes in an attempt to rub away the remnants of sleep, and noticed that his other hand seemed to tug on something. He glanced at his other hand and, immediately, his face flushed bright red.

Why the hell was his hand on Dark’s?! And not just on it, but holding it. His form glitched as he teleported, setting himself on the other side of the coffee table. Why had he been holding Dark’s hand? How long had he been holding it? Fuck, had his host seen?!

“Hey, Anti-”

He glitched again as he jumped slightly and whipped his head around, looking towards the stairs for the source of the voice. Jack stood near the staircase, having just come down after waking up already dressed in a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a gray tee.

“Mornin',” Jack hesitantly gave him a friendly wave in greeting. “I was kinda surprised when you didn’t retreat for rest, last night. Have you been up all night?”

“N-No! I was not!” Anti growled defensively and crossed his arms, his feet lifting off the floor as he floated in place in the air.

Jack thought nothing of the defensive tone. Anti often got that way when Jack initiated the conversation. It was normal, although the stutter was new. “So then, you did sleep. Down here. Next to Dark of all people.” Jack already knew he had. He’d been up on two separate occasions just to check on him. He just wanted to see if Anti would admit to it.

“How the fouk should I know?” Anti answered with an annoyed pout, leaning back and floating through the air like he was in a pool. That was usually his answer when avoiding things, though.

Jack raised a brow, watching his demon counterpart levitate through the air.

Anti growled and glared at him, the slightest blush on his face. “Would ye stop starin’ at me and fouk off!” In the blink of an eye, Anti glitched and teleported away. Where he tended to go, Jack never knew, but this was just how his life was lately.

Jack shrugged and glanced at Dark. Looking at him from here, he looked...slightly less intimidating? Still, not knowing what he was capable of combined with that stoic air he always had about him, Jack was not about to go trying to interact. At least, not right now. He needed to get used to Dark actually being real. He had no doubt Dark was probably a decent guy. He’d seemed as such yesterday. But still, he’d been exhausted then and he was still so damn intimidating.

Yesterday had been crazy enough as it was, given the strange circumstances and finding out they’d both taken over for the same day. It would be great if there was a day that was just...normal, somehow. That was probably asking for too much, though.

Jack moved on to the kitchen with a little more speed, breathing a small sigh of relief as he grabbed the coffee pot from it’s usual resting place, according to Mark, and preparing to get the morning started off right this time.

A few minutes later, Mark came strolling down the stairs with a yawn, still in his pajama pants and a clean tee. Nothing like waking up to see Anti laying on the ceiling above you to really start the day. He just LOVED jump scares right after sunrise. The glitchy demon hadn’t looked happy about it either, for some reason, glaring down at him from his perch. He had then huffed and promptly disappeared before Mark could ask why he was there. God, he was never going to get used to Anti being real, was he? At least on the plus side, he’d be able to get a jump-start on his cardio...now if only it wasn’t at such an early hour.

He stopped to look into the living room, checking over Dark from a distance. He looked...well, healthier than he had been yesterday. Apparently chasing the glitchy demon had really taken it out of him. Mark sighed… He had to consider the reason Dark had done that in the first place. He’d promised Mark that Jack wouldn’t get hurt. He’d technically kept that promise.

Jack was right, he needed to ease up on him a bit. Dark was just doing his best to make things work out. Sure the guy had a temper, but Mark wasn’t too much better, sometimes, either. If they were going to make this work, they all needed to start trying to get along.

When Dark finally began to stir, Mark stepped into the living room, setting himself down on the edge of the coffee table. No time like the present, right?

Anti had silently slipped in after Mark, hovering over in a corner to watch from afar. He still had a semi-permanent glare plastered on his face.

Dark raised a hand to his head and groaned. “What happened?” he mumbled, the question not directed at anyone in particular.

“You fainted,” Mark answered, “while protecting Anti from me.”

Dark frowned. Had that happened? As he thought on it, it came back to him. The conversation with Jack, feeling Anti’s fear, darting up the stairs. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and bowed his head. “I apologize for my outburst. With everything that happened, I would not resist if you wanted to lock me away for some time.”

“Dark, no, wait.” Mark gave the demons shin a pat. “I’m the one who should apologize, not you. You did nothing wrong.”

Dark lifted his head to look at his host of almost 20 years. Why was he apologizing?  It wasn't as though Mark had done anything wrong, either.

“I’ve been thinking it over for several hours after talking to Jack about the whole thing. You were only keeping him safe from danger, right?” Mark asked, earning a small nod from Dark in return. “And from the sounds of things, you were just trying to have a normal day and Anti was being stubborn. I understand. And besides, Jack didn’t get hurt, just like you promised. It obviously took a lot out of you.” He rubbed at the back of his neck, still trying to get all of his thoughts organized. "And really, I should've handled all of this better. I panicked, and I wasn't thinking, and I'm sorry. So, to make up for my mistake...I'm going let you out more. There's no reason to lock you up in my head, and if we're all going to get along, it would be better if you were out more often."

Dark sat on the couch, baffled by his host's apology. "...I..really?"

Mark nodded. "Really. We did make a deal, and you held up your end of it. We all need to know each other better if this is going to work out in the long run."

That simply brought up another question, but Dark would have to wait to ask it. He was aware, now that he was more awake, of Anti's presence in the far corner of the room and did not want to let Mark's secret slip. Anti didn't seem the type to keep secrets, so it was best to wait. "I do not really know what to say, Mark. But...thank you. I will do my best."

"Good." Mark stood himself up just as the sound of tiny skittering paws echoed down the hall.

"What the hell?" Jack commented from the kitchen, making Mark chuckle.

"And that's one more thing I'll have to explain," he sighed, shaking his head. Mark gave Dark's shin a friendly pat and left, heading into the kitchen.

 

Anti watched from his spot in the corner as the source of the clatter climbed up onto the couch and practically bounded across it to sit on Dark's thigh with a happy chirrup. He could hardly believe his eyes as he saw Dark smile for the first time. And not a fake smile, but a genuine, happy smile. One that made Dark's pupils rounder and his irises more of a bright silver than their usual gray.

Dark happily scooped up the little bundle of white fur, holding it close to his chest and chuckling slightly as it nibbled at his goatee. "Good morning to you, too, Jewel." He rubbed her head, smiling while talking to her. “I hope you didn’t sleep in your food again.”

Anti couldn't make heads or tails of what he felt at that moment. There was this strange flutter in his stomach, but his chest hurt a little, like he was jealous. But... that didn't make any sense. He frowned and teleported out of the room, popping up on the roof. He hugged his knees to his chest, watching as the sky grew increasingly brighter and blue.

That smile... it was so warm... and yet, it was directed at a... humans called those ferrets, right? Yeah, a ferret. Of all the things to smile at, why a ferret? Better question though, why was he jealous of a ferret, of all things?! Why did he even feel that strange fluttering in his stomach upon seeing Dark smile? What the hell was going on with him?!

Anti shook his head and buried his face in his knees. "Dammit, stop feeling like this!" He yelled at himself. Not one bit of all this made a lick of sense. He shouldn't be jealous, there's no reason to be! Hell, he'd mentally and physically slapped himself yesterday, at one point, for even daring to think of Dark as handsome. Why the hell had that even popped up?! Maybe Jack's feelings for Mark were stronger while they were here, or something, and it was messing with his head. Yeah, maybe that was it. He'd heard having a host could really mess with a demon's personality. That had to be what was going on. He just needed to ignore it. It would stop then, right? ...Right?

 

Back in the kitchen, Jack shot Mark a look of confusion. "Since when did you have a ferret? I thought you were more of a dog person." He gestured toward the backyard, where Chica was currently running around and doing her business. Jack had let her out as soon as he'd had his coffee brewing.

Mark chuckled and walked over to the fridge. "Yeah, that's Jewel. She's Dark's pet." He pulled open the door and grabbed the juice, setting it on the counter so he could grab out a glass from the cabinet.

"Dark has a pet?" Jack asked. "Why is that hard to believe?"

"It was hard to believe he wanted one the day that he asked about it," Mark said as he poured himself some juice. "But yeah, he does. He takes care of her and plays with her as much as he can. Otherwise, I have to make sure she at least gets food. She's pretty much the only reason I know what it looks like when he's truly happy."

"He can be happy?" Jack asked.

"Yes, surprisingly," Mark chuckled again and took a sip of his juice. "It's not often, and mainly just with Jewel. But, hey, who knows. Maybe we can figure out something else that makes him smile, y’know?"

Jack furrowed his brow and glanced at the archway to the living room. So Dark wasn't always so stoic and scary. Maybe this could work out, then. Still, could they really get their demons to relax around each other in three months? Somehow, that seemed impossible. Then again, both were unpredictable. There was no telling what could happen.

“Hey there, Markimoo~”

Speak of the devil…

Mark jumped slightly at the cold, feather-light touch of metal against his cheek and glanced over his shoulder. Anti had teleported in behind him, crouched on the counter and holding a knife close to his cheek. “Y’know, we haven’t had a chance t’ get t’ know each other, yet~ Don’t suppose you’d be willin’ to give me a private interview~” he grinned, “I mean, you did give one of yer own characters one.”

What was up with this sudden change of mood? Last time Mark had seen him, he looked pissed off. Now he was...was he flirting? Or messing with him? It was hard to tell.

Anti glanced up and scowled. “Yay, the old man returns from his nap to take away my fun.”

Dark had appeared beside Mark, clothes straightened, hair combed, arms behind his back per the usual, and eyes their usual gray again. Mark figured Jewel must have settled back into her hiding place for a nap of her own.

“Still on about that old man jab, are we?” Dark replied, calm and even. “Surely you can come up with something more creative than that.” Seemed like he was feeling much better.

Anti growled and teleported the knife back into the holder on the counter, “Of course I foukin’ can.”

“Really now?” Dark raised a brow, “Could’ve fooled me. You seem like more of a fetchling fumbling around in the dark for something to hold onto.”

“I am NOT a fetchlin’!” Anti glitched so he was standing in front of Dark, glaring up at him. He faltered slightly, his fear and nerves trying to get the better of him.

Dark chuckled and smirked, the kind that definitely held no affection, compared to earlier. “Technically, you are, little one.” He noticed Anti seemed to bristle at that one, although with the younger demon’s emotions all jumbled, it was hard to tell if that was out of fear or annoyance. “You’ve only been with your host...what, a year?”

“What does that matter?” Anti crossed his arms. Definitely annoyance.

“It matters because the stronger and older a demon is, the easier it is to take a host. Persuasion is a perfect tool, IF you know how to use it properly. And from what I have seen, it took you some effort to take over your host. Which makes you quite young,” Dark explained bluntly.

“You better watch it-” Anti started, but was interrupted.

“Have you even reached sexual maturity?” Dark asked.

Although Mark couldn’t see Anti’s face, Jack could. The glitchy demon’s face had turned such a dark shade of pink that it reached his ears and neck. His form even seemed to falter a bit, glitches almost appearing like a visual shiver that traveled up his body. He’d never seen Anti blush so hard. Geez, was this how Dark was when he picked on someone?

Anti wasn’t quite sure how to reply to that. It sounded like a jab at his being young, but it also felt like...well shit, he wasn’t even sure now! What the hell kind of a question was that?!

After a moment of Anti being silent, Dark smirked again. “We’ll call that payback for giving me a hard time the other day. And next time, please do the dishes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry this took so long. Life really got in the way.
> 
> Between family issues, fighting my depression, buying a house, and finding out I'm pregnant, a lot's been going on and keeping me from working on this fic. But hey! I'm back to it, and now I can work on it a bit more regularly. Still can't guarantee how long it will be before chapters, I am still a mom and housewife, so there's still stuff that needs done during the day. But I will be working on it.
> 
> Look forward to more chapters in the future! And thank you for being so patient during this rough spot in my life. It means a lot.


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